


In Critical Need To See You Again

by Phia_Baker



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Kidge - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Polydins, he might curse in spanish too cause im over joyed with the fact that he's cannonly cuban, is that the name for this ot3?, kidgance - Freeform, klance, pidgance, swearing Lance cause honestly he seems like he'd talk like me and i curse an unnecessary amount, thats my name for this ot3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-26 14:11:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9902594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phia_Baker/pseuds/Phia_Baker
Summary: When it first happened, Pidge and Keith had thought it to be a tragedy; but said tragedy brought Lance into their life. The cute and effervescent ER nurse who curses on the job, has the sense of humor of a dork, and who they can't get enough of. But....is Lance really worth the growing wedge between two best friends? For the moment, it seems he is..-.In which Keith and Pidge have a crush on the same guy and they don't know what to do.





	1. "Are All Nurses Usually This Foul Mouthed?"

“Good work today!” the director announced, almost immediately dropping his hearty claps to start bossing the staff around. Keith decided he didn't need him on his case, and started to pack up his camera equipment to load it with the rest of the lights and the set.

“Hey you!” Allura smiled at him. “Need a hand?”

Keith was more than capable of carrying his stuff by himself, but he knew from all the years working with her that Allura rarely took no as the final answer. He smiled at her. “Sure. Here, take the tripod, I’ll carry the rest.”

“So, any plans for the weekend?” she matched his pace, the glittery dress from the shoot bouncing up and down with each step.

“Me and Pidge are planning on marathoning the Harry Potter movies.” he chuckled at her scoff.

“I don't understand Katie at all! She’s young, she's beautiful, she can kill a man if she throws her sneaker hard enough! And yet, she never goes out!” she laughed. “I sure wish I had the time.”

“Life as a model and designer is pretty hard, isn't it? When’s your chauffeur picking you up again?”

She nudged his shoulder. “I’m just saying, I want the time to go out and have fun too! I have meetings all day tomorrow and it's Saturday!”

"Okay, so that does kinda suck." He laughed at her, loading the stuff into the truck. "What would you even do with a free day?"

“I don’t know, meet new people?” she shoved the tripod in the spot Keith had cleared for her. “I’d like to not die alone, Keith.”

“That’s what my brother’s here for, Allura.” He smirked at her.

She flushed but her expression remained calm. “As if! Shiro and I are just friends!”

“Mmm hmm, okay, Allura, sure.” he rolled his eyes, a small smile still on his face.

“I’m serious!” she laughed, linking arms with him as she walked him over to his bike. “Three years of knowing each other and not making a move usually means we’re not gonna date! Take a look at you and Katie!”

“Allura, I’m not straight.”

“Okay, you know what, that was a bad example.”

They both laugh as he slipped on his gloves and jacket. “I still think you should bone my brother.”

“Shut up, Keith.” she kissed his cheek and waved him goodbye, turning to walk back into the building to change. “Tell Pidge she needs to go out more!”

As he was about to answer when his phone buzzed. “Look what you’ve done!” He shoved the phone out so she could see the screen from where she stood. “You’ve summoned her!”

Allura rolled her eyes.

He put Pidge on speaker phone upon answering. “Pidge! Allura says you’re anti-social loser that needs to live a little!”

“I said it in a nicer way though!”

On the other side of the line, she laughed. “It's okay Allura, but you have to tell emo lord over there to buy me gummy snakes on the way home.”

“That’s between you and your husband.” she laughed.

“That's true!” Pidge giggled, then cleared her throat. “Honey Buns, I need you to buy me gummy snakes.”

“I promise I will, Sugarplum!” all three of them laughed.

“Well, I’m off! Use protection you two!” she walked back to the set.

“Bye, Allura!” they said in unison, which caused them both to laugh once more.

“You know, I really think we need to fuck now, just to get them to stop saying that.”

“Pidge, what in the world makes you think they’ll stop if we fuck?”

A pause. “I don't know, it got me shut up about Hunk and Shay.”

“Touche.” he chuckled. “I’ll hook you up to my helmet, gimme a sec.”

“Oh! I love it when you do that! It makes me feel like I’m some sort of hacker spy and you’re on a secret mission!”

“Hacker? Yes. Spy? Not with all the noise you make.”

“Har har.” she snorted.

He put on his helmet and sat on the bike, making a show of revving up the engine, the growl echoing through the empty parking lot. He’ll humor her tonight. “You ready, Agent Holt?” he can’t help the little smile creeping into his face.

He hears keys being smashed on the line. “Operation Get Me Gummy Snakes is a go Agent Kogane!”

He burned out of his parking spot, enjoying the cold breeze against his face and his chest. “Alright, what's the closest seven eleven?”

More typing. “Down two streets and a left.”

“Gummies, here I come!” he sped up.

She giggled. “You know, you should teach me to ride that thing!”

“Pidge, you nearly got ran over last week on your scooter!”

“It’s cause I’m more of a skateboard person!”

“No, you’re not!” He crossed over to take the upcoming turn.

“You know what, Keith? I came out here to have a good time, and honestly I'm feeling very attacked right now.”

Keith threw his head back in laughter. He hadn’t heard her say that in a while.

He collected himself, taking advantage of an opening to take the turn. He was halfway through the street when he spotted the headlights on his right, unfortunately, a bit too late.

The truck collided with the back of his bike, sending it and himself flying onto the gravel. He could practically hear his bones crack as the helmet made contact with the street.

“Keith!? What was that?” He couldn’t muster the strength to answer her back, instead, what came out were groggy, incoherent sounds. “KEITH!? CAN YOU HEAR ME!? KEITH!”

Her voice faded out into silence.

All the streetlights dimmed until everything was pitch dark.

 

* * *

 

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It smelled kind of like an elder home or a dentist; either way the smell made him him very uncomfortable.

The second thing he noticed was that he was hot. He was a man of many layers who thrived in the cold, but he was burning up.

The third thing he noticed was the beeping, and that's what woke him up. His eyes fluttered open, the blinding light becoming a bigger annoyance than the sweat plaguing his body. He tried shifting to get a better look at where he was, but his everything hurt; especially his left side.

The beeping was starting to become clearer, and he reached around trying to sit up so he could get a glimpse around the room.

He tried turning on his right side, feeling a wave of nausea crashing down on him as he tried to stand.

“WOAH, WOAH! Hey, buddy, you can't do that shit!” He felt a hand gently trying to push him back into bed.

His head was reeling and his vision was fogged over. He was gonna puke. “Whu….Where...?”

“Easy, biker man, easy; please get back into the bed, I’ll adjust it so you can sit up a bit.”

The warm hand stayed resting on his chest. Soon he could feel the bed shifting so that he sat at an angle rather than a flat line. Gentle fingers reached up to brush some of his sweaty hair away from his face.

“You good?” the voice sent shivers down his spine; the two words spoken dripping with care and concern.

“Where am I?” Keith's vision started to clear, and he sucked in a breath.

The man above him was beautiful. Tanned skin, high cheekbones, dark blue eyes. With the bright light above him, he looked celestial. He had this look on his face, soft and inviting, his lips capturing Keith's attention, making him sweat more if that were possible by this point. Keith was pretty terrified that with his mind in this cluttered state he’d start saying stupid shit without thinking.

That's when he realized the man above him had been talking the whole time.

“Uh….What?”

The man blinked at him in surprise, not able to contain the snicker that soon after left his lips. Keith wanted nothing more than to ravish him right then and there. “I see someone doesn’t care enough to know why he’s at the ER.” he smirked.

Keith left out an awkward chuckle, a little slow to what the man had said to him. When he did register it though, he bolted upright, miscalculating the man’s proximity. He slammed his forehead to his, causing Keith to be slammed back into the bed as the man fell onto the floor.

“OH MY GOD I’M SORRY!” Keith sat up once more, tears in his eyes. He was suddenly very aware of the pounding in his head. “I DIDN’T-! I didn’t….” He trailed of as he looked around.

Several nurses, patients, and other people were staring at him in a mix of amusement, mortification, and pity. Aside from that embarrassing fact, Keith was more concern with the fact that his little crowd was made up of nurses, patients, and the patients’ families.

He was indeed in the ER, or at least a hospital wing, and the annoying beeping fro before was nothing less than the heart monitor attached to his index finger.

He looked down at the man, feeling his body chill suddenly. “What.... happened to me….?”

The man rubbed his head, standing to sit at the edge of Keith’s bed. He looked both amused and a little tired. “What do you think?”

Keith wasn't sure he appreciated his calm tone when he himself was freaking out. “I-I-I don’t know! I-URGH! All I remember is-!” He stopped. He racked his brain around to remember the last thing he did, but nothing before he woke up came to him.”

“That’s not good....okay;” The man grabbed a chart from the bedside pocket and flipped through it. “I’m gonna ask you questions; I need to make sure you don't have amnesia.” Keith nodded. “What's your name?”

“Keith Kogane.”

“Date of birth?”

“Does it matter?!” Keith said exasperated. “I just….I just need to think; I didn’t forget anything I swear.”

“Hey hey, it’s okay, pal!” He smiled at him, setting the clipboard down. “You’re right, the mind is always clouded when one wakes up from the type of power nap you took. Our memory slithers away from our grasp like a snake.”

“Snakes? That's the dumbest-” He choked. “Snakes?! SNAKES! HOLY CRAP THE GUMMIES! WHERE’S PIDGE!? WHERE’S KATIE; IS SHE OKAY?” he latched his hands onto the man, the heart monitor picking up the pace along with his heart.

“Okay, okay, let’s not panic! Let’s not panic, chill fam.” He grabbed Keith’s hands in his. That didn't help his rapid heart, but it did calm his sudden stress. “Okay I’m gonna tell you what I know, and I need you to piece what I tell you together to aid your memory.”

Keith nodded, trying to still his heart so that the beeping would slow down to a less annoying rhythm.

“We got a call around eight thirty seven that there been an accident." He started softly. "A man on a motorcycle had been hit by a bakery delivery truck. When the medics arrived at the scene, the young man had a lot of road burns on his left side.” he gently brought Keith’s hand to the bandages around his left thigh.

He gasped. He hadn’t noticed the hospital gown, nor the bandages. “What….” he was afraid to ask. “What else?”

The man’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he smiled. “Thankfully, no sprains, twists, or broken anything. You were very lucky. Only the burns and the concussion you’re probably feeling by now.” Keith chuckled nodding slowly. The longer he stayed sat up, the more the room spun around him. The man brought his hand to his face, brushing his thumb over his brow. Keith felt a knot tighten in his stomach. “Plus this nasty cut. It could leave a scar but let's hope not.”

“But...What about Katie? I remember her voice!” Keith tried to think, but it only made him more nauseous. He could feel himself choke up. “She wanted gummy snakes….!”

The man was quiet for a second, probably having an easier time at racking his mind around than Keith was with his head pounding. He picked up the chart again and after shuffling through some pages he sighted. He turned with dazzling eyes, crinkling at the corners of his wide smile. “Could you perhaps be talking about Katelyn Holt?”

“Yeah, that’s Pidge!” Keith tried to reach for the man once more but he suddenly started feeling queasy. He hated what happened next.

He puked.

Thankfully he didn't puke on the cute nurse's face. He did, however, puke all over the cute nurse’s shoes and the floor. He wanted to cry. He was in pain, he was dizzy, and this was by far the most embarrassing thing in he’d done in his life. Perhaps he was exaggerating….no he was not, Keith wanted to die.

He felt a hand rub his back. “Hey, it’s okay, this is best way to deal with concussion-caused-nausea; just….let it out pal.” His voice was a sweet, his tone a little grossed out and uncomfortable, but Keith couldn't blame him. He was puking on his shoes after all.

He waited until Keith had regained his composure, gently setting him down on the bed. Keith heard him ask another nurse to bring him a cooling pack and his spare shoes, as well as someone to clean up the mess. Keith tried not to think about it too hard or he’d puke again from embarrassment.

“Keith, listen to me.” His voice threatened to lull him to sleep. It was infatuating. “When they found you your phone was ringing. You had a bunch of missed calls and a couple of voice messages and texts. When one of our medics answered, the voice came through the speakers of the helmet.” Keith took in a shaky breath. “She wasn't there, Keith. You probably felt like she was because, technically, it was like she was speaking into your ear.”

“Oh, thank God.” he let out a tired laugh letting his eyes close. “I thought Matt was gonna kill me.”

“Your girlfriend’s brother?” the man laughed. He heard him thank a nurse. “Keith, I need you to not scream okay?”

“Why would I-OH OKAY THAT'S WHY.” he winced as the cold pack touched his forehead, numbness slowly spreading as he got used to it. He felt the nurse's hands roam over his chest. “What are you…?”

“You’re hot-”

“Thanks.”

“-It might be a fever, so since you’ve been sweating it out for a bit, I’m gonna try cooling you down now.”

Keith practically melted into the touch. He allowed himself to be stripped from the blankets that had been wrapped around him, feeling tingles down his spine as the man unbuttoned the hospital gown and pulled it open. He felt his hands on the bandages on his side.

“You should feel fine by tomorrow; regarding the concussion I mean. At most you'll get a few headaches here and there." He gave an airy laugh. "Those burns are gonna sting like a fucker for a while, though.”

"Are all nurses usually this foul mouthed?"

"Only when the patients puke on their shoes."

"I can't believe I did that!" Keith threw an arm over his face. He could feel himself smiling in embarrassment.

"Neither can I." he chuckled. "Better me than a visitor though."

"I don't know man." Keith started to feel a little groggy. "I think Pidge would've loved it."

"I'm sure she would've." his tone was hushed. Like a whisper. “I need you to rest up now, though, okay? Tomorrow you’ll be able to go home.”

“Okay….” Keith felt himself drifting away. He mustered all his strengths to not fall back asleep just yet. “W-Wait….”

“What is it?”

“What's….what’s your name….?”

He heard a little laugh. Keith felt his hand being grasped gently, then laid on his stomach. Fingers ran over a spot on his chin. From the light sting, Keith safely assumed it was another cut. “The name’s Lance. Shame you puked on me seconds after meeting; that’s usually a 'fourth-date-at-the-club' event for me.”

Keith chuckled before finally letting go, drifting back to sleep.


	2. “Jeez, Pidge! Do I Leave You To Finger Paint?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idk how the ER works; can you tell?  
> -  
> -  
> -  
> Keith goes home, but not before more shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Addressing Alana+ Bochmann:
> 
> ""If Keith wants to date lance shouldn't he say about how he's not dating pidge.""
> 
> Keith is....a little slow in this fic. Also keep in mind during most of chapter one he's not 100 clear on this train of thought due to the accident.  
> Plus he doesnt fully realize he wants to date Lance till later.   
> At first its just infatuation with Lance's physical (in chapter one) and when he sees Pidge and him interact for the first time (chapter two) he's like 'oh no biggy', but its not until he realizes Pidge is serious about him (in chapter three ;)) that Keith is like "yo hold the fuck up why am i not happy for her???". 
> 
> hopefully the transitions from friendship to love are as smooth on writing as it is in theory.

Keith woke up to silent humming and the beeping from his heart monitor; he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t forgotten he was at the ER.

He opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room. He’d been moved to a single room in the back so they could keep an eye on him over night without him taking up a main spot. The light was coming from a window this time; he liked that better than the main room’s LEDs.

The humming turned into whispered singing, accompanied by scribbles on a chart. Keith couldn't help but listen in.

“Bidi bidi bom bom, Bidi bidi bom bom.” Even half asleep he could recognize Lance’s voice. He turned his head so he could get a better look at the man who checking his vitals. “Cada vez, cada vez que lo veo pasar, mi corazon se enloquece! Y me empieza a palpitar! Bidi bidi bom-” he made eye contact with Keith, flushing and straightening up. He cleared his throat “Hi.”

Keith giggled, trying to rub the sleep off his eyes. “Cheery in the morning, aren’t we?”

“Might as well be.” he smiled at him. He was still a little sleepy, Keith could tell. “Did I wake you?”

“You did, but for your sake I’ll say no.”

Lance laughed. “Well, for your sake you should be nice to the nurse that made sure you didn't die last night.”

Keith raised a brow. “I thought you said I’d suffered nothing serious.”

“You didn’t, but I could’ve easily murdered you for puking on my yeezys.” Keith paled for a moment, knowing some of those shoes sold for seven hundred dollars. Lance snickered. “Then again, they are knock offs my mom bought at the mercado. You can buy all kinds of shit at the mercado.”

Keith let out a relieved sigh. “I’m sure.”

Lance came to stand by his side, setting the chart down. He placed a hand on Keith’s forehead. “Well you seem to be at regular temperature, and you are not as pale or sweaty as last night.” He sat down. “I need to check on your concussion though; how are you feeling?”

Keith took a second to answer, trying to see if there was some sort of pain he had not felt yet. He shook his head. “Just a light pounding in my head; nothing some food won't fix.”

Lance chuckled, lightly patting his shoulder. “You wish! You’re most probably gonna be dizzy for a while. Not to mention we’re gonna have to prescribe you Topiramate or something for the headaches, and some ointment and pain killers for the burns. You’re gonna spend quite a lot of money on bandages.”

“That’s what my brother’s for;” Keith chuckled, laying back down. “He’s got the higher paying job.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s the tax manager for Altea-”

“I LOVE ALTEA!” Lance practically bounced off the bed, searching his pockets. “LOOK!” he pulled out a little tin of lip balm with the signature pink flower emblem on its lid. “This is one of my favorite products. I love their beauty and self care selection! I like the clothes too but to be honest I-what?”

Keith allowed his laughter to fill the room, enjoying the light blush on Lance’s cheeks. “Nothing, nothing! It’s just-” he let out another laugh. “I live with a girl, and she doesn't get nearly half as excited as you about this kinda stuff.”

“Hey, I’m allowed!” He smirked as Keith raised his hands in surrender, a smile still plastered on his face. “Besides! Being a nurse gives you a newfound appreciation for face masks and creams; never too early to start caring about your appearance.”

“Fair enough!” Keith admitted “Hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“I can tell.” He stuck his tongue out. “What do you do?”

“Huh?”

“We were talking jobs before I got....uh....excited.”

Keith chuckled. “I’m the photographer for Altea; all those catalog and website images are all me.”

“Then I must thank you for making Allura Altea look ravishing.” he winked.

“That’s all her.”

“Dude, so, I was-”

A knock on the door caused Lance to stand up straight and shove the tin in his pocket. Shortly after another nurse walked in, a curvy brunette with a droopy brown sweater. Lance excused himself to talk with her for a second before nodding and walking back as she walked out.

“You have visitors and I have to go,” Keith nodded in understanding. “But I’ll try to see you off, seeing as you puked on me and I refuse to let you live it down.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You are horrible.”

“My one and only trait!” He opened the door. “Say hi to your girlfriend for me.”

“My what?” Keith raised a brow. He tried to rack his brain around for anything he might’ve said last night that might’ve made Lance think he was straight.

Keith was about to correct him, but he was too slow and Lance walked out. The door flew open shortly after, slamming onto the wall as the person responsible for the action stepped in.

Keith felt his heart swell with joy as he took in Pidge's appearance. Bed-head, darker-than-usual bags under her eyes, mismatched socks, and to top it off her shirt was inside out and backwards. She was a mess and it made him want to cry.

“Keith!” she screamed as she practically belly flopped onto the bed. “WHAT THE FUCK!?” she straddled his lap, oblivious to the wince as her leg brushed over the burns. “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING FUCK, KEITH!?”

“Katie no!” Matt was walking over to them.

“No! Katie YES!” she seemed mad. It also seemed like she was about to cry. Keith felt really bad for almost laughing at her helpless expression.

“Katie, no!” Shiro closed the door behind him.

After a moment of glancing back and forth between his brother and her brother, Pidge sighted. She slowly and got off Keith’s lap. “Katie, no…” She sat on the chair next to the bed.

“SERIOUSLY!?” Matt sighted and he plopped down on the chair next to her.

Pidge stuck her tongue out at him, turning back to Keith. “How are you feeling? Yesterday, mid-call, I heard a crash, and you weren’t answering when I called out, and at first I thought it was the phone, so I hung up and tried calling again, but you didn’t pick up! And I kept calling but you never did answer, and when you did, it wasn’t you, it was the police, and they said there’d been a crash and you had to come to the ER, and then-then-!” she gasped for air. She took a second to collect herself, grabbing Keith’s hand. “You’re so stupid and I hate you.”

“I love you too.” he squeezed her hand.

“Are you okay?” Shiro sat on the edge of Keith’s bed. “They said you had road burns and a minor concussion.”

“They said you were incredibly lucky.” Matt added. “No damage to your bike other than a dent, and no major damage to your body.”

“What happened to Naomi?” Keith asked.

“I took her to your apartment already, I know you don't trust anyone else to fix her.” Matt rolled his eyes. “I still can't believe they made me come just so I could drive the bike back.”

“One; that’s what you get for being the only other one who’s certified to drive a two-wheeler cause of your lame ass moped-”

“It was a gift, Katie!”

“Two; you came because you're a worry wart, Matthew Holt.” his silence earned him a smirk from his sister as Shiro and Keith chuckled.

“We brought you some clothes so you can change. I’ll drop you both off at the apartment before going prescription shopping.”

“We can come with; I’m not dying.” Keith ignored the fact that the pounding in his head was getting stronger.

“We don’t care!” only Pidge answered, but since neither Shiro nor Matt spoke against it, Keith assumed they were all in accordance. “You need to rest, at least for a little longer.”

The look she shot him told him he had no say in the matter. He smiled back, playfully rolling his eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll go home and rest!” Pidge visibly relaxed. “But if I want anything I expect you to bring it to me.”

“Of course I will, Honey Buns.” she laughed.

“Well since no one died,” Matt got up. “I’ll take my leave, I have a date in an hour.”

“We should get going too.” Shiro pulled some clothes out of his bag. “Do you need help changing? Cause of the burns and bandages, I mean.”

Keith thought about it for a second. “Yeah, you know what, I might.”

“Aww, you two are so cute!” Pidge purred. “Maybe you can take baths together too.”

“Okay, we’re gone!” Matt grabbed his sister by the wrist towards the door as she laughed. “She’ll wait for you two at the front. I have to go, but I hope you feel better Keith.”

“Thanks, Matt.” Keith chuckled as the Holt siblings exited the room. He turned to his brother. “It’s funny cause they’re the one’s that used to bathe together all the time”

Shiro helped him sit up. “She used to wear his clothes too; can’t blame her though. Linda wasn’t very good at picking tree-climbing attire.” Keith nodded with fake sympathy, Shiro chuckled. “Take the thing off, will you?”

He complied, happily shedding the hospital gown. He looked down at himself, feeling self conscious at all the bandages on his body; there were a few still visible little bruises. If he looked pretty beat up to himself, he didn't want to imagine what he looked like to his older brother.

“Lift your arms, you baby, you’ll be fine.” The reassuring smile on his brother’s face was all Keith needed to cheer up again. “I heard you puked on your nurse.”

Keith groaned with embarrassment “I did! God, I can’t believe I did!”

Shiro gently pulled his arm through his shirt, mindful when Keith winced. “What he say?”

“He….” Keith paused, remembering how flustered he’d been whilst Lance barely reacted. “He was pretty chill about it actually….”

“Oh?” He didn't need to see him to know Shiro was smirking. “What’s his name? Was he cute?”

“His name is Lance. And being a flaming homo doesn’t mean that I think all guys are cute, Shiro.” Keith frowned as Shiro shrugged, clearly very amused.

After a second Shiro spoke again, in a teasing tone. “Was he?”

“Stop trying to figure out who’s gonna get in my pants and help me put them on.” Shiro laughed.

“So….are you gonna ask him out?”

“Shiro, I don’t even know him.” He laughed, struggling to stand. He leaned on Shiro as he slipped into his sweat pants.

“Okay, okay, I’ll drop it, plus you do have that other guy; what’s his face? Laurence? He seems like a dick though, please don’t date him.” he pulled out Keith’s slippers, setting them down for him. “Ready?”

“Let’s bounce, I want donuts.”

“I’ll go sign you out and get your prescription.” he stirred Keith through the halls, careful with his hand placement. “Go find, Katie; she’s probably by the vending machines.”

He and Shiro split up at the front desk. He looked around for a little bit, trying to spot a sign that would point him in the right direction. Turns out he didn't need to; as he turned a corner a laugh caught his attention. That laugh was definitely Pidge’s.

“I swear!” she was saying. “They are they only movie-worthy snack!” a small pause. “Don't shake your head at me! They are! They’re long gummies, so they last longer! There’s sweet ones, there’s sour ones! What else could one eat while watching movies!?”

The hearty laugh told him who she was talking to before even coming into view of them.

“Popcorn, Katelyn! One would eat popcorn!” Lance laughed as she slapped a hand on her forehead. “You can have them plain, cheesy, buttery, caramel-y! You name it!”

“Okay, you know what Lance?” They laughed again.

“Honestly guys, what matters is the drink, not the snack;” Keith came into view, leaning on the wall as they smiled at him. “And a slushie is the only way to go.”

“True that, Keith.” Pidge agreed, pocketing her pack of gummy worms as Lance nodded.

Lance smiled at him. He was in his street clothes; white and blue baseball tee, dark jeans, and a jacket Keith had photographed for last year’s ‘Altean Men's’ collection. “Going home?”

“Yeah, after I get a donut or something. I'm so hungry I could eat a child.” he smirked at Pidge.

“Please don't eat me.” Pidge laughed. She linked her arm around his. “Ready to go?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well, aren’t you two goals?” Lance smirked as he bent over to grab his pack of Oreo’s from the bending machine.

Pidge let go of his arm with an awkward laugh as Keith said “It’s not like that.”

Lance winked at them. “See ya around.”

He left and Keith was pretty upset with himself for not stopping him. Lance thought he was straight. He knew that Lance thinking that didn’t affect his life or Lance’s in the slightest, but it made him feel off anyway. He seemed like a cool guy, and now it felt like Keith was lying to him.

“We should get going,” he said. “Shiro’s probably waiting for us.”

He waited for her to say something. When she didn't, he pulled on her and she snapped to attention after the third tug. “Yeah, let's go.”

“You good?”

“Peachy.” she smiled at him. “Let’s go get those donuts.”

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge didn't say anything during the car ride, which wasn't unusual of her; she was usually either on her phone or singing. Talking in the car wasn't her forte.

She didn't have a preference on the donuts either. And even though she usually never did, the fact that she didn't this time made him very uneasy.

She helped carry Keith’s stuff to their apartment and took it to his room, but she didn't come back to say goodbye to Shiro.

That’s when he knew something was wrong.

“Pidge?” he received no reply. “Katie!”

She poked her head from the hallway, her cheeks colored slightly. “Is he gone?”

“Yeah, why?” he raised a brow.

Before he could ask what was going on, Katie squealed as she jumped onto the couch.

Keith pulled away with a horrified expression.

“What's wrong?” Katie laughed, tossing her legs over the armrest. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

He looked at her for a second. There was a new glow to her; even with her disheveled appearance she looked beautiful. It’s not that he didn't think his best friend was pretty all the time, but this was something else. She looks more meek and demure and….and….!

  
“Girly.” Keith faked disgust.

“Oh, shut up!” she threw a pillow at him, “I’m allowed to be!”

“Not in this house you're not, bro.”

She rolled her eyes, letting out a bubbly laugh. Her giddiness was starting to rub off on him. He went over to sit back to back, following her lead and tossing his legs over the armrest as well.

“You good?”

“Will be when Shiro brings me the headache pills.”

She laughed. “Fair enough.”

“Are YOU good?”

He felt her shift against his back. “What do you mean?”

“Last time I saw you like this was when I introduced Shiro as my brother.”

“That's cause I didn’t know you’re brother was the guy I had a crush on when I was nine!” he could feel her laugh resonate from her body to his.

“You totally still had a crush on him in high school, though!”

“Did not!” she leaned forward, Keith reclining over the curve of her back.

“You so did!” Keith snorted “You were all like ‘H-Hi Takashi, OMG am I allowed to call you that?!’”

“I do not abbreviate ‘oh my God’!” she pushes against him, resting on Keith’s curved back instead of vice-versa. “And I was freaking out cause he’s Japanese! You don't do first names there!”

“But he’s also an American who couldn’t care less!”

“Ugh, whatever!” he could feel her rolling her eyes. “The fact that you guys were brothers totally killed my lady boner.”

“Blame his mom and my dad, that’s was all them.”

“I guess….” she sighed, easing her head onto his shoulder. He followed suit. “It was for the better though. I can't imagine not having this.”

“Aww Pidge!” he met her gaze, sticking out his tongue. “Gross.”

She laughed and pushed his face away. “I’m serious! I’m glad I’m not dating Takashi Shirogane, the almighty. I’m really glad I’m not tied down right now.”

“Why is that?”

“I met a guy!” her voice was coated with excitement. “And he has these eyes, Keith! They're an untamed ocean!”

Keith chuckled. “Jeez, Pidge! Do I leave you to finger paint?”

“Ew, No! Dude, I’m serious!” she stood so fast Keith fell backwards into the couch. “Keith, I, fuck! I think I could like, like him like him….like….like-like like-like him….I-" she stopped herself. "....What did I just say...?”

He laughed at her confused expression. “Blushing, stammering, rambling; who are you and what have you done to Pidge?”

“Har har.” she rolled her eyes, kneeling in front of him, resting her arms and face on the edge of the couch.

“Who is it?” he wrapped an arm around her, running his fingers through her hair.

She smiled. “That nurse who we were talking with earlier….” she smiled in pure bliss.

“Lance?” Keith raised a brow.

She snapped up. “You know him?”

“He was the nurse that attended me yesterday.”

“Dude! He’s so hot!” she piped up.

“Dude!” He rolled his eyes. “I know. Curses like a sailor though.”

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’m sure it doesn't since you do the same.”

"Hey!" There was a pause. “I wanna see him again.”

“Just break your leg or something.” Keith teased.

Another pause. She pulled away from his grasp, his hand landing limply on the couch. He gave her a confused look. Her face was so focused he got a headache just thinking about the million thoughts running through her head. She muttered something he almost didn’t catch before bolting for her room and slamming the door behind her.

“Or something....”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA! I almost forgot to update! What a great start to this fic!! jesus christ....
> 
> Lance is singing Selena because let's be real, Lance is all about them latina singers.  
> also, yes Laurence is Lotor and Big Brother Shiro O nīchan does not approve.


	3. “How am I supposed to befriend an ER nurse, Keith?!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge's guide to getting a date with a cute nurse.  
> -  
> -  
> -  
> tbh i dont think this is very OOC, but y'all might think it's very OOC; I apologize, I was trying to real in the lols....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is late, but I swear I have a good excuse for not updating yesterday.....let me just think of one.....in the mean time just read the story how 'bout it? haha.....

Katie Holt was incredibly brilliant. She’d skipped two grades, graduated top of her class from college and from high school, and she had the dream job of any robot nerd.

 

Pidge was a motherfucking genius, she knew that. 

 

However, she was also incredibly stupid.

* * *

 

“MOTHER FUCKER!” 

 

Keith slammed onto the floor, having been so startled by the scream that he’d rolled out of bed.

 

He winced at the sudden sharp pain; landing on his left side was a sign that today would not be a good day. Granted, that while in the two weeks that had passed his burns had started to scab, that didn’t lessen the sting that the impact with the floor shot through him.

 

He grunted as he sat up, his head spinning.

 

“Fuck fuck FUCK!” Pidge screamed from the other side of the door.

 

He snapped to attention, quickly pulling himself up. “KATIE!?” he staggered towards his door.

 

He was met with a sobbing Pidge, curled into a ball as she cried on the floor next to her door. 

 

He fell to his knees, clutching his still throbbing side. “Katie, what happened? Are you okay?”

 

She gasped for air trying to speak between sobs and grunts of pain. “FUCK! I didn’t- shit shit SHIT! Keith!” she reached up for him. “I NEED TO GO THE HOSPITAL! I-I-I-” she choked on a sob. “I THINK I BROKE MY PINKY.”

 

“HOW THE FUCK DID YOU BREAK YOUR PINKY?!”

 

“I-!” 

 

“UGH, IT DOESN'T MATTER COME ON!”

 

He ran back into his room to put on some shoes. He looked at himself in his mirror; his hair was a mess, he looked very tired, and his clothes were all wrinkled from being slept in. 

 

Fantastic.

 

He helped her to her feet and fetched her shoes and her glasses. He took comfort in the fact that, at least, he looked more presentable than Pidge, whose face was wet and blotchy from crying.

 

Since Keith was not well enough to take Katie on his bike, they settled for calling a cab. The whole ride was spent with Keith trying to calm Pidge down as she threatened to rip off the man's mustache if he didn’t ‘step on it!’.

 

When they got there (after Keith tipped the taxi driver a little extra to not sue them), they walked up to the front desk to get a form as Pidge frantically looked around.

 

He pulled her to one of the many empty chairs in the waiting area. He filled in the blanks, trying not to smack his friend for all the fidgeting she was doing. “How did this happen?” Keith turned to her.

 

“Huh?”

 

“The pinky?”

 

“I broke it.”

 

He blinked. “Yeah, I got that from your frantic wailing; I meant HOW did you break it?”

 

“O-oh, I, uh….” she ran her good hand through her hair. “I slammed it on the door by accident.”

 

“How did you manage that? I thought you closed your door last night?”

 

“Well, I-”

 

“Hey! If it isn’t Gummy Snakes and Pukey!”

 

They both turned to see Lance walking over to them from the front desk.

 

“What did you just call me?” Keith glared at him, daring him to do it again.

 

“Nothing that isn't true.” he winked at him. Keith scoffed, unable to hide the little smirk on his face. Lance turned to Pidge. He frowned. “You wear glasses?”

 

“Not usually!” she blurted out. “I couldn’t put my contacts on today.” 

 

“Oh, don’t worry about it; those kinda suit you!” he smiled. “My friend at the desk tells me someone fucked up.”

 

She laughed nervously and a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I kinda did.”

 

“I see that.” he chuckled, giving her swollen and purple finger and eyeing. She hid it with her hand with an awkward laugh. He smiled. “Tell you what; I’m not supposed to do this, but seeing as it’s a slow day, come in the back with me and let me patch you up.”

 

“Really?” her face lit up, a light blush on her cheeks.

 

He laughed. “Follow me, Gummy Snakes.” she got up and followed close behind. Keith laughed. “Hey!” he turned to Lance, who was flashing him a grin. “You too, Pukey.”

 

* * *

 

“KEITH!”

 

He ran into the bathroom, not bothering with knocking. “What!? What’s wrong?!”

 

Pidge rubbed her eyes vigorously, tears streaming down her face.  “I don't know! I put my contacts in and now they sting like a motherfucker!”

 

“Okay, don't panic; let me see.” he slowly pulled her hands away from her eyes. They were rather red and puffy. “Okay hold on.”

 

“Are we going to the ER?!" She cried.

 

“No, it’s cool, I had a friend who also wore contacts. This happened to him cause his solution was close to the expiration date; let me see yours!”

 

Pidge handed it over after a few seconds. 

 

Keith gave her a funny look. “Pidge, this is the old solution; what happened to the new one?”

 

She shrugged, no longer withering in pain. “I dunno.”

 

“Huh….” he shrugged too. “Well, in any case don’t use this shit. We’ll order you more later. For the meantime just use your glasses. Hurry up and get dressed, Shiro said he’d drop you off at the lab before heading to Altea Headquarters.”

 

“I….okay.” She washed her face, drying it, and pulling her glasses out of her pocket. As she was tying her hair up she noticed Keith staring at her. “What?”

 

“Nothing, I just thought you’re eyes were gonna burn off based on the way you screamed earlier.” he leaned against the door frame, raising a brow. “And since when do you carry your glasses in your pocket.”

 

“Well, since I, uh, since-!”

 

“Since Lance said they made you look cute?” he smirked at her.

 

“He didn't say that!” she stopped. Then, more quietly added. “Did he?”

 

He ruffled her hair with a laugh. “You, my dear Pidge,” he leaned down to her eye level. “Have got it REAL bad!”

 

“ARGH GET OUT I NEED TO CHANGE!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Huh….” Lance walked in circles around Pidge. “So, Katelyn, do tell me again….how in the actual name of fuck-” he paused to take an exasperated and slightly amused breath. “You got FUCKING BATTERY ACID! In your eyes…? Huh?!” 

 

“I told you! I work with robots! AT A LAB! That shit is everywhere!”

 

He stood there, silently watching her with his hands pressed to his lips. “In your eyes too?!” he asked in a hushed and incredulous voice.

 

“YES!” she sighted. She hated the fact that her vision was so blurry she couldn't distinguish him from the wall. “Can you just fix me?!”

 

He sighted. “Honestly, these cases vary; have you soaked your eyes already?”

 

“No?” 

 

“KATIE!” he shook her gently by the shoulders before scurrying to get some water in a container. “I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WORK AT A LAB!? YOU DIDN'T HAVE GOGGLES ON AND YOU DIDN'T RINSE THEM OUT AFTERWARDS?! DO YOU WANT TO BE BLIND, WOMAN!?”

 

“I didn’t-!” she growled. “Just hand me the water, McClain!”

 

He sighted. “Can you hold your eyes open? You’re allowed to blink, but I do need you to soak them in warm water for at least thirty minutes. What’s your prescription?”

 

“Negative one point five, why?” 

 

“There's a pretty big possibility that you’re eyesight just got a lot worse than that.”

 

“Fuck!” 

 

“Hey it’s fine, we’ll test you after you’ve soaked down.”

 

“No, this wasn’t supposed to happen like this!”

 

He laughed. “Pidge, one can’t control accidents!”

 

She was quiet for a second. “Right.”

 

“I’ll go get the chart so we can test you here.” Lance said softly. She assumed he was smiling, but with her eyes underwater and more blurry than before (if that was even possible) she wasn't sure.

It felt like eternity before she heard the door open again.

 

“Lance?”

 

“Try again.”

 

Oh. “Hi, Keith.” she mumbled.

 

She heard an exasperated sigh on her left. “Pidge what the fuck? First the contact solution, now this? What is wrong with you today?” 

 

“I’m a little bit distracted is all.” she sighted. 

 

“I’m just glad you’re here now; you gave Hunk a real fright.”

 

“I’ll apologize later.”

 

Silence fell between them. 

 

Keith let out another dramatic sigh. “You are incorrigible.”

 

“I know….”

 

He chuckled. “I’m kidding; lighten up.” he rubbed circles on the small of her back. “Hey, if anything, we can go get you better glasses. I know you hate these rectangular ones; they make you look like an even bigger nerd.”

 

“They’re not that bad.” Lance walked into the room. “Hey, Pukey.”

 

“Speaking of incorrigible.” She could feel Keith rolling his eyes.

 

“You know it!” she heard the clatter of something being set down. “Alright, Katie you can take your eyes out now. Here.”

 

She took the towel and dried her face. Her vision was still very blurry, but her eyes didn’t sting like before. She looked down at her hands; they were pretty clear. She tried to look at her shoes as well, but past a certain point her vision was fuzzy. She felt like crying. “Great! I royally fucked up!”

 

“Hey, it’s okay!” Lance placed a hand on her shoulder, his face was foggy around the edges, even at this proximity. “Let’s try and figure out what you need, okay?”

 

She nodded. They ran through the eye test, Pidge fully aware that she’d done worse than the last time she’d done this. “Do I need to go to the eye doctor?”

 

Lance gave her a coy smile. “Yeah, but here!” he handed her a piece of paper. “My tio owns this shop, tell him you’re my friend and I’m certain he’ll give you a discount at least.”

 

She felt herself blush; Keith must’ve been having the time of his life watching this unfold. “Thank you.”

 

“Don't mention it. Take these as well; he can always switch the lenses to what you need.” he placed a pair of circular glasses on her face. While they weren't precise, it was an improvement to before. “Better than buying all new ones.”

 

“Where’d you get those?” Keith asked, taking the paper from Pidge so he could eye the address.

 

“They were my grandma's; she got new ones, so she doesn't need them anymore.” Lance shrugged.

 

“Why do you carry these around?” Pidge asked, her tone indicating she was poking fun at him.

 

“Why do you have battery acid laying around?” Lance cocked his brow, smirk on his face.

 

“Okay, you know what? I don’t need your sass right now, my eyeballs are damaged.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Katelyn, what the fuck are you doing?” Keith asked as he watched her freeze, the momentum she had been building up gone in an instant; her hand was clinging to the railing with a vice like grip.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Sit.” She obliged. He sat next to her. “Okay, so, in the last month you’ve: broken a pinky, nearly blinded yourself, and yesterday I found you trying to get Mrs. Martinez to give you peanut butter.”

 

“I like it.”

 

“YOU’RE ALLERGIC, KATIE!” he took a deep breath, his tone dead serious as he spoke. “What's your endgame; hospitalization?! Cause-!” his face dropped. “Oh.”

 

“Yeah….” she hid her face in her hands.

 

“ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID!?” Keith bolted up to stand in front of her. “Where you really bout to throw yourself down the fucking stairs so you could go see Lance at the ER? Katie!” 

 

“The battery thing was an accident!” she touched her glasses. The lenses were different but the frame was the one Lance had given her. “At least the end game was….”

 

"It's doesn't- wait." He looked at her like she was crazy. “You put battery acid in your eyes….ON PURPOSE!?”

 

“Yes and no? It wasn’t supposed to be battery acid; it was wrongly labeled! The...uh, the rest; the pinky and the solution, those were on purpose….” her voice kept dropping in volume as she spoke, probably realizing how much more stupid what she was saying sounded when said out loud.

 

Keith sat back down, his face buried in his hands. “Why can't you just talk to him like a normal person?!”

 

“He’s a nurse! An Emergency Room nurse!” she used her hands for emphasis. “How am I supposed to befriend an ER nurse, Keith?!”

 

“He calls us Gummy Snakes and Pukey; I think we're past the befriending stage Pidge!”

 

“I just….” she took a deep breath. “I haven’t liked anyone since Takashi….and that was fifteen years ago. I haven't dated or even taken an interest in anyone for a long time. I don't know what to say or what to do. You saw how you reacted when you saw me acting 'girly'; I’m not the type of girl Lance would want to date. This is probably the only way for me to get close to him….”

 

Keith felt his heart sting. He’d never seen her like this. “Then you’re both stupid.”

 

“What?”

 

“Katie, you’re stupid for doing this shit. What did it get you? A pinky splint, a new prescription, and low self esteem, which you shouldn't have AND brings me to my next point; if Lance doesn't want to date you then he’s stupid. Pidge, you are fucking cool! You make robots for a living! You are hilarious! You're so full of love and care for others that I'm surprised it fits in your tiny body!” Keith brushed the hair out of her eyes, smiling as he met her teary gaze. “Anyone would be stupid not to cherish you.”

 

“Do you really mean that?” 

 

“Why would I not? Pidge, if I didn’t believe all that I wouldn’t still be your friend after 13 years.”

 

She wrapped her arms around his torso, letting out a hearty laugh. “Have I told you how much I love you today, Keith Kogane?”

 

“You have now.” he squeezed her back. Before pulling away from her, holding her by the shoulders. “But try this shit again and I’ll be the one throwing you off the stairs.”

 

“Noted.”

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge looked at herself in the mirror. She’d gotten to bed earlier than usual, and the two extra hours paid off. She was fully aware that five hours of sleep was not the recommended amount, but that's all she could manage. 

 

The bags under her eyes weren’t as aggressive today, and her hair looked okay. She washed her face and her teeth, taking a deep breath as she made eye contact with herself in the mirror.

 

“You can do this.”

 

She looked down at herself. Over the years her taste in clothes had become very boy-ish. She looked good in her eyes, but she kept thinking back to all the times the women in her life has suggested she dressed in a more feminine way….was Lance going to be one of those people?

 

She shook her head. She was Katelyn fucking Holt, and she could handle a nurse with pretty blue eyes.

 

She rushed out of the apartment, filled with new found confidence and determination. Keith had been feeling a lot better and had taken his bike to work and she currently didn't have a car. She couldn’t call Shiro or Matt, and her scooter had been crushed by a car a while ago. She was also, contrary to what many thought of her and her well-off family, a very cheap person who was not about to pay for a cab when she had a skate board.

 

She made her way down the streets, thankful the side walk was pretty empty today. She rode for a few blocks, soon turning the corner to go into the parking lot in front of the Emergency Room building. No backing down now.

 

She sped up a little more trying to get to the front entrance. She didn't have a plan. She realized that asking for a nurse who could be in the middle of their shift was a poor idea. He might not even be there right now. Maybe she could ask the desk for his schedule? 

 

She shook her head, kicking off the ground. She needed to calm down. What’s the worse that could happen?

 

“Katie!” 

 

She turned to see Lance waving from his car;  holding three coffees in one hand, keys in the other. A cute girl with brown hair was standing next to him.

 

“Lance....!”

 

Her skate board hit the sidewalk sending her flying onto the pavement with a grunt.

 

“KATIE!” shoving the coffee into the brunette's arms he rushed over to her.  He pulled Pidge into his arms. “Okay, Katie, I need you to breath.”

 

She gasped for air, not having realized she had stopped breathing. She sobbed. “FUCK! Lance it hurts!”  she clutched her leg closer to her chest. She didn't dare open her eyes.

 

He laid his hand atop hers gently. “Let me see.”

 

She slowly removed her hands, daring to take a peak. She was thankful she didn't have her glasses on anymore; it was clear there was a lot of blood; she didn't need to properly see what was going on.

 

He chuckled faking a wince. “Yikes, Katie, this is definitely gonna need stitches.”

 

She sniffled. “Really!? Keith is gonna kill me!”

 

“Can’t kill what almost died.” He laughed, he placed a mellow hand on her back. “Can you stand?”

 

“I-I don't know.” She tried putting weight on her leg, pain shooting through her all the way up to her hip. She stumbled back into Lance’s arms. She blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t-”

  
  


“Hey, it’s fine. Wouldn't be the first time someone scraped their knee and fell for me.” She blushed harder, struggling to snap something back at him. He laughed. “Kidding, kidding; wouldn’t want to come between you and Pukey. Let’s go!”

 

She was about to say something when she felt herself being lifted. She yelped and held onto his neck. 

 

“Jeez, Katie, I know you’re tiny, but you're so light! What are you? A hundred pounds?”

 

She managed a laugh. “Hundred and fifteen pounds of pure muscle, babe!” she bit her tongue. This wasn’t Keith, she couldn't just throw pet names in the mix.

 

He chuckled. “Consider me impressed.” he turned to the brunette from before. “I’ll take care of her, call the kid we called last time and let him know she’s here.”

 

“The puker?”

 

“That’s the one; help me with her glasses and her board please!” he walked into the building.

 

“Who’s that?” she couldn't help the bitter tone.

 

“That’s our intern, she usually handles the paperwork at the front desk." he snorted "She’s a fucking meme.”

 

She blinked in surprise. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, I’m surprised her girlfriend can deal with her; you think the nickname ‘Pukey's bad? Try being pet named ‘Mon Petit Merde de Chien’.” he snorted. “She’s not even french, she just likes annoying her girlfriend who actually is.”

 

She laughed awkwardly; she could do this.”So, what do you call your girlfriend?”

 

He thought about it for a second. “My ex.”

 

YES! “Oh, that’s too bad.” She smiled.

 

“Not really, she just wanted me for convenience; I'm not about that life.” he set her down, shuffling around for the supplies to stitch her leg. “You two are lucky.”

 

“Who?”

 

“You and Keith! I’ve dated around; a lot.” he started to disinfect her cut. She winced. “Sorry.” she smiled reassuringly at him. “Like I was saying. I’ve tried to be happy with so many people, but….it never feels quite right. Like….something’s always missing.” he smiled up at her. “You’re lucky in that sense.”

 

“Actually,” she took a deep breath. “Me and Keith aren’t dating, we’re just friends who live together.”

 

“Do you two do-the-do too?” she rolled her eyes.

 

“No! Why does everyone say that!? He’s-!” she stopped herself. It wasn't up to her to tell Lance Keith was gay; that was on him. “He’s just my best friend since the seventh grade! We’re just friends.”

 

“Haha, I see, sorry for assuming; Pukey never corrected me so....” He started applying the anesthesia to her leg before stitching it. Thankfully she only needed three stitches since the cut wasn't long so much as it was deep. “So, are you seeing anyone?” he looked at her, with a raised brow.

 

She snorted, “Lance,  I can’t see shit without my glasses.”

 

He laughed too. “You know what I mean.” he slipped her glasses on for her, she could've sworn his hands lingered on her face for a little bit. 

 

“I do.” she could hear her heart in her ears. “I’m seeing you.”

 

He blinked, his face flushing a soft red. “Oh, wow, that was good; I’ll give you that one!”

 

She smirked. “So what do you say?”

 

“Wait, are you actually asking me out!?” he grabbed her hands in disbelief.

 

She could feel her palms getting clammy, her confidence shrinking away. “Y-Yeah? Is that bad? It it the clothes? Cause if so, I don’t-”

 

“No, No, No! I think you’re clothes are adorable!” she blushed, a shy smile on her face. “I’ve just never been asked out before!” He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I’m usually the asker, not the asked.” he shot her a toothy smile. “I’m really flattered, Katie!”

 

She matched his grin. “You can call me-!”

 

“PIDGE!” Keith slammed the door open. “WHAT THE HELL, HOLT!?” he stormed over to her, kicking away the skateboard on the floor. “I THOUGHT WE AGREED YOU WEREN'T GONNA DO THIS SHIT ANYMORE!”

 

“Keith.” she spoke through gritted teeth. “Think about what you’re saying.”

 

“I am.” he turned to Lance. “Just go out with her already man, she’s been fucking up in purpose just to come see you! And at this rate, neither of us will live past thirty five!”

 

Pidge was mortified; she felt like she was going to die.

 

And then suddenly Lance started to laugh. Loud, hearty laughter filled the room, bringing tears to his eyes as he clutched his stomach. Pidge and Keith looked at each other and then at Lance.

 

“You’re not mad?” Keith asked, looking rather pissed. “She almost ate peanut butter for you!”

 

“So?” he said between laughs.

 

“SHE WOULD’VE DIED!” Keith growled. “Don’t you think this was stupid of her!?”

 

“Oh yeah, for sure! This is stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Pidge shrunk in her seat. He lifted her chin so their eyes met. "You know, you could’ve just asked for my number; no need for me to play knight in shining scrubs every few weeks." 

 

“So, is that a 'yes'?” she asked,  a cocky smirk on her face

 

“It’s a 'definitely'.” he matched her grin.

 

Keith gagged “I’m starting to think 'Pukey' is an accurate nickname for me.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOoooookay, so! Hopefully that wasn't too OOC, cause I honestly think Pidge would do anything to get what she wants *ahem* all the shit she's cannonly done for her missing fam *ahem* but i do understand some of this shit is a little too much. haha oops. Sorry Pidge....and everyone else in this chapter who nearly died of stress on her behalf.


	4. “I will shove this burrito down your throat.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Pide go on their date!  
> KEITH.exe is no longer working.   
> Shut Down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is a week late but unlike last time, I have an excuse this time-  
> ("wait so last time you didn't?")  
> -I had this fair and this book I needed to publish and sell and it was a huge mess and I'm not gonna go into it {you can't buy it anywhere unless you know me in person but jsyk its a children's book that will hopefully be available for buying online at some point.}
> 
> long story short; I'm sorry, this will not happen again :D  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> I hope.

“Are you sure I look fine?” Pidge held out the phone for Allura to see.

“Yeah, the button down looks super cute! I’d loose the hat though.”

Pidge huffed and took it off. She reached over for the brush.

“No, don’t! You look cool like that!” Allura shouted over the video chat. "Like you just rolled out of bed but you don't care!"

“Really?” she looked at herself in the mirror.

Rolled sleeves, green overalls, and a gold watch. Huh! She did look pretty good.

“So, should I do something to my face?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, makeup or something?”

“Do you even own any?”

She paused. “No, you’re right; I’m over thinking this.” she sighted. “Why am I so worried?”

“It’s normal, Pidge; you’re just excited!” she laughed.

“Well, duh! Allura you haven't see him! He’s like the surfer dude’s in the movies! And I’m like one of the little kids that play baseball in the background or something.”

“You need to relax! You said he was looking forward to this!”

“He is! I think....” she walked over to her room, sitting on her bed. “But that’s because this is the first time he gets asked out! It’s not like he was asked out by someone like you or anything!”

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?” Allura raised a brow.

“You know; Tall, lean, banging bod. I’m like a scrawny preteen boy!”

Allura laughed again. “First off, those are not the hips of any boy!” Pidge blushed. “Second, you have a banging bod too! So what if I’m taller and have more boobs than you? They’re there, Pidge, you just need a better bra!”

“I like sport bras!”

“They make you look flat chested!”

“Whatever!” she giggled.

“Do you know what shoes you’re going to wear? Are you taking a purse? What about a jacket?”

“It doesn’t matter; he’ll be here soon anyways.”

“PIDGE!” She screeched into the phone.

“What!?”

“Do you want to keep him interested?”

“Yeah….?”

“Then make him glad he had to wait for it.”

She smirked. “Okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

On the other side of the closed door, Keith sat with his legs propped up on the coffee table. He was only half paying attention to the movie he was watching. Shiro sat next to him on the floor, trying to sort through some of the pictures Keith had taken yesterday for a different company.

“You know, if Allura finds these she might get mad.”

He smirked. “I take it they’re good pictures then?”

Shiro sat on the couch. “You took them; of course they’re good.”

There was a knock on the door. Keith grunted as he got up to get it. Upon opening the door he was greeted with a smiling Lance, looking very good in the tank top and button down convo he was wearing. Keith felt himself blush

“Hey, Pukey!”

And the blush was gone. He furrowed his brow un-amused. “Hey, Lance.”

“Is Katie ready to go?”

“Not sure; come in.”

“Thanks.” he looked around. “This is a killer place you got here! It’s cleaner than the one I share with my brothers.”

“How many do you have?”

“Five; I also have three sisters.” he laughed as Keith’s mouth fell open. “My parent’s really love each other; how about you? Any siblings?”

“That be me!” Shiro shouted from the couch.

Lance made his way other there. “Hey, I remember you! You came to see Pukey when he crashed his bike!”

Keith slapped his forehead as Shiro laughed. “Is that the only impression he made on you?”

“The only one worth mocking anyways!” Lance laughed. “But from the few encounters I've had with him I can tell he’s a softy with a big heart; no matter how much black he might wear.”

He smirked at Keith, who suddenly felt the need to take off his rainbow colored socks. “If you say so, Lance.”

Keith made eye contact with Shiro, who flashed him a smile. Keith didn’t know why, but for some reason that smile felt forced.

“What’cha you got there?” Lance eyed the photographs on the table.

“Oh, they’re for a magazine; nothing special.”

“No, these are great!” Lance picked one up, his face in serene state as he traced his fingers over the image of a well-dressed trio looking out to the sun rise. “You have an eye for perfection, Keith.”

The blush was back. He looked at Lance from the corner of his eye. He noticed how smooth his skin looked, and how the dimples on his cheeks were evident even with the smallest of smiles.

“I really do.” he whispered, almost to himself.

“Wow, conceited much?”

The three of them turned to see Pidge leaning against the wall. Keith was about to compliment her when he noticed she wasn’t looking at him.

He heard Lance chuckle. “Well! Someone cleans up nice!” he walked over there, leaning against the wall, towering over her. “Cute bandages by the way, Tony Hawk.”

She playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Oh, shut up!” she walked over to Keith and Shiro, a big smile on her face. “Well, we’re off! I promise to win you something at the fair, Honey Buns!”

“What about me?” Shiro raised a brow.

She snorted. “I’ll try and win you something too you big baby!” she turned back to Keith. “Do I look okay?” she whispered, her smile faltering.

He couldn't help but beam at her. “Better.” she grinned and hugged him. He pulled away. “Holy crap, you’re wearing perfume this must be serious.”

She rolled her eyes. “Har har!” she walked over to Lance, signaling she was ready to go. “Later!”

“BRING HER BACK BY TWELVE!” Shiro shouted from the couch, not bothering to look away from the tv.

“What are you, her dad?” he cocked a brow, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Yes.” all three of them answered automatically.

Lance faltered for a second, unsure if they were kidding or not before deciding they were. “Alrighty then, seem’s were playing ‘Cinderella’ today.”

“Looks like it.” Pidge laughed. She opened the door for him with a bow. He curtsied in return. She laughed, shouting a last goodbye before walking out.

Keith let out a breath he didn't know he’d been holding. Something felt weird.

“You okay?” Shiro asked.

Keith walked back over, plopping down in the couch and re-assuming his legs-on-table position.

“Yeah, yeah….” he said, his mind wandering off elsewhere. “Just….peachy.”

Shiro didn’t press it.

 

* * *

 

 

“You are totally scared!” Pidge teased as they stepped into the cart for the haunted house, because, of course, it’s the best way to start any date at a fair.

“I am so not scared!” Lance said as he eyed the cart suspiciously. “I must admit though, I do not like the fact that we're in a caged cart.”

“Don't be such a baby!” she said as she scooted closer to him when the cast started moving.

“I’m not!”

Needless to say they were both babies. By the end of the ride, Pidge was wrapped in Lance’s arms and they both looked pretty shook.

“S-See!?” Lance chuckled awkwardly. “I’m wasn’t scared!”

“Neither was I!” she pulled away from his grasp.

“Then why are you still on my lap?”

She yelped and pulled herself away, her cheeks a little flushed. Pidge cleared her throat. “I’m not!”

“Anymore!” he laughed. “Come on!” he hopped off the cart, waiting for her to get off before walking away from the ride. “What shall we ride next?”

She thought for a moment. “What are you in the mood for?”

He looked around and grinned as he focused his gaze on a specific ride. “That!” Pidge turned to see what he was looking at.

It was one of those rides that swung like a pendulum, leaving you at a ninety degree angle from the ground. She felt her adrenaline kicking in already.

“Let’s do it!”

The evening seemed to be in fast forward for the first half of their night. They went on all the fast and rough rides before they ate; she didn't need to be nicknamed ‘Pukey number 2’.

As they got out of the Gravitron, struggling to not sway and stumble, Pidge tripped over the last step, landing on Lance’s back.

“Careful, Katie, don’t go falling for me!” he smirked.

Even though she knew her face was probably bright red, she was having too much of a good time to back down now. “Might be a little late for that, McClain.”

“God, I hope so.” he winked at her.

She buried her face between his shoulder blades. “You win this round!”

“Psh! Baby, I win ALL the rounds!” he grabbed her legs and pulled her onto his back. She yelped and grabbed onto his shoulders with a laugh.

“Put me down, you dork!”

“No way! If I put you down, you’re gonna scamper to another ride and I’m getting hungry!”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” she adjusted herself, trying to ignore the fact that he had a pretty solid grip on her thighs. “Onward, my trusted steed!”

“I’m not a fucking horse, Pidge!” He did started walking a little faster though.

“Lance!” she gasped happily. “You called me ‘Pidge’!”

He stopped for a second. “Oh, I’m sorry! Am I allowed to? Or is that a Keith-and-Katie thing?”

“No, on the contrary!” she smiled. “It’s a nickname my brother gave me; I love it when people call me that!”

“Sound’s like a pokemon name.”

She snickered. “Are you trying to make fun of me?”

“Is it working?”

“No!”

“Then no.”

She giggled. “What are you hungry for? I saw some food trucks by the ticket stands earlier.”

“Let's go find out then!”

As they walked, Pidge noticed they were getting a few stares. She wasn’t sure if Lance was picking up on them or not, or if he even cared for that matter. But Pidge could feel her cheeks burning.

She was NOT used to being looked at. She was a main crowd kinda girl; the only time she really stood out was during academic award ceremonies or at the lab. And even then, it was never like the looks she was getting now.

Some were from girls probably wondering the same thing she was; ‘what was someone like her doing with someone like Lance?’. Others were from girls with their boyfriends, probably wanting a piggy-back ride as well. There was also the few eyes that traced her body, checking her out. She didn't love it, but it certainly boosted her confidence.

She wondered if this is how Allura felt.

“Alright, let’s see….” Lance’s voice snapped her back into reality. He was looking around the trucks, trying to spot something that they might enjoy. “How about burritos?”

“Sounds good to me!”

He set her down gently; Pidge would never admit she suddenly felt cold at the absence of his back. “Alright, go save us a seat; what would you like?”

She smirked at him. “What do you think?”

“No; fam, you can’t play this game with someone who doesn't know what you like, dislike, or are allergic to!”

She thought for a moment, staring at the menu. “Like; chilly, cheddar, beans, guac, lettuce. Dislike; tomatoes and onions.” she smiled affectionately as she watched him use his fingers to run through her likes and dislikes in his head. “Also, feed me peanuts and I'll choke and die.”

“Noted.” he turned to make his way to the queue.

“Wouldn't mind choking on you, though.” she whispered under her breath, tracing her gaze up his legs.

“What was that?”

“NOTHING!” she rushed over to an empty table.

She took a deep breath. So far so good. They’d been having a lot of fun and they seemed to have good chemistry! This was fine! She needed to chill and allow herself to be the way she always was; like she was with her friends and with Keith.

She pulled out her phone. She was gonna text Keith to let him know how she was doing when someone sat down at her table. She was about to say something stupid, thinking it was Lance, when she was met with a pair of aggressive green eyes and a head of sleek red hair.

“Hello...” Pidge set her phone down, raising a brow. “Can I help you?”

“Are you a chick?” her question was so genuine it actually hurt Pidge’s feelings.

“Yes, I am.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“What? No, he’s-”

“I TOLD YA!” she stood up, walking over to her friends. Pidge felt her anger escalate as she saw the other two girls take out some money.

“HEY!” she walked over to them. “For your fucking information, I plan on making him my boyfriend sooner or later, so kindly fuck off and stop betting on it!”

She didn't wait for their response or their reactions, as she saw Lance looking around for her, and felt the need to make some people mad in addition to proving her point.

“There you are!” He smirked as they sat down. “A burrito for a Pidgerrito.”

She blinked at him in disbelief. “Damnit Lance! I came over her with the intent of being flirtatious and sexy and you just fucked up the mood.”

“What?!” he flushed. “Why?”

“Cause ‘Pidgeritto’? Really? That’s, like, ten times worse than ‘Pukey’!”

“No, not that!” he hid his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why were you gonna....attempt to seduce me?!”

“Oh, no! I-Not like that!” she felt herself blush too. “I just-There were these girls! They didn't believe we were on a date, and they bet on it, and I got mad! I-ah, no, never mind; doesn't matter.”

He eyed her for a moment before casually putting his arm around her and leaning in; his lips practically pressed to her neck. She sucked in a breath, her palms suddenly very clammy and her face very hot.

“Which ones, the red head and the two blondes with her?”

“Huh?”

“Cause the redhead just handed the blonde's some money; she looks pissed.”

“O-OH! Right! Yeah, those three.” she laughed awkwardly, reaching over for her food.

He pulled his face so he could make eye contact with her. He smirked. “What did you think I was gonna do, Katelyn Holt?”

“I will shove this burrito down your throat.”

He laughed. He too reached for his tin covered food, but he kept his arm gently resting over her shoulder. She smiled, scooting closer.

“So, how long have you been a nurse?”

“Since I graduated med school; started as a nurse at a pediatrician's office, but the doctor I regularly assisted said I should aim bigger; so I did.” he took a long sip from his drink. “Now I work ten to twelve hours a day Monday to Friday, and have forgotten what sleep is.”

She laughed. “Same here, except I purposefully stay wake.”

“Why?! You’re insane!” he took a bite out of his burrito. “I’d give anything to have more time to sleep!”

“I work with fucking robots, Lance; ROBOTS! Our lab is currently working with Nasa on Rover designs! My job is the coolest shit ever! I’d lose three days of sleep if I had to. I’m their youngest engineer ever! I need to prove I deserve it.”

“I’m sure you do; I’d love to see your work sometimes, since you’ve seen mine already; and on purpose, no less, you crazy munch."

She rolled her eyes dramatically, speaking through a full mouth. "Are you and Keith ever gonna let me forget that?"

"Never!" he smirked. "How’s the knee, by the way?”

“Way better; when do I get these off again?”

“Pidge, it’s been three days, give it a week or so.”

“Fine!” she took the last bite of her burrito. “These aren’t bad for fair food. But I still wanna get something sweet after this.”

“The night's still young, little lady; we haven't gotten to the carnival games yet.”

“Holy shit, you're right let's go!”

She pulled him by the arm, not caring that he wasn't done eating yet. They raced through the crowd trying not to get separated until they got to the ring toss game.

“Wanna win a stuffy for your girl?” the worker asked.

“You know it!” Lance took out his wallet, then stopped for a second. He smirked at her, his cheeks dusted pink. “I need my other hand to pay the man, Katie.”

She let go of his hand, not realizing she’d grabbed onto it earlier. “Sorry.”

He smiled at her, handing the man the money. “Pick a prize, whichever one; I’ll get it for you.”

She looked around the the tent. “Lets see….” her eyes darted from the small prizes to the medium ones to the large ones. Her eyes landed on the medium size prizes. “I want the green lion over there!”

“You’re wish is my command!” he turned to the guy. “How many rings is that?”

“Three, but you can upgrade if you still have two out of the five rings.”

Lance laughed, turning to her once more. “You wanna see the best payoff of being a nurse?” she nodded. “The reason they call me Lance ‘The Tailor’ McClain is not only cause of how I thread the needle for stitching;” she rolled her eyes. “But also because of my precision when it comes to getting things inside a tiny hole, A.K.A; ring toss games!”

Pidge couldn't hide the surprise and pure delight as he flawlessly got every ring on a bottle.

The worker whistled. “You delivered; colored me impressed.” he unhooked the lion from the stand. “You have enough to get a small prize too; what would you like princess?” he smiled at Pidge.

She looked around the smaller shelve; they were mostly Beanie Boos and random cartoon characters. She spotted a little BMO among the mix. “That one!”

“Here you go!” he handed them over. “You both have have yourselves a nice night.”

“You too!” Pidge called out as Lance stirred her towards the other games. “Oh, lets do the balloon popping one! I see something I want to win you!”

He cocked a brow. “I’m the one that supposed be winning you stuff!”

She thought for a moment. “How about you win something for Keith? You already won me two things, and the big baby’s gonna cry if I don’t bring him something.”

“Fine, but I’m gonna pop a shit ton to be able to get you something too!”

“Lance no!” she laughed as they reached the stand. “How about you treat me to cotton candy after this instead?”

“Deal!” he handed the clerk some money and passed her five darts. “How many for the large prizes?”

“All five darts.”

“Alright, Pidgey! Let’s see who can pop the most balloons!”

She cheated. In retrospect, since that was supposed to be a price for Keith, she should’ve allowed him to do good. But after he missed the first throw when she sneezed, she decided it was too funny to not mess him up.

“Pidge, for fuck’s sake, at this rate Keith's gonna get the stickers as a prize!” she laughed and surrendered. He threw his remaining darts, popping their respective balloons with a perfect hit. “Your turn.”

Pidge was not as precise. Thankfully she was aiming for a medium prize, cause one of her darts missed the board completely, impaling itself in the neck of a giraffe.

“Not bad!” Lance smirked at her.

“I know.” she winked a him. “What are you gonna get Keith?”

  
“I don’t know….” he looked over the bottom shelf where the small prizes were. This particular booth had only hand made stuff, which was what had caught Pidge’s attention in the first place. He eyed a little felt lion with fondness in his eyes. “I’ll take the red one; that way you guys will match!”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right!” she held up the bag with her other stuffed animals so he could put it inside. “Ready to see what I wanted for you?”

“Is that even a question!?” he seemed really excited.

“Close your eyes!’

“Fine!” he extended his hands, making a grabbing motion. Pidge pointed to what she wanted, and the clerk put it in his arms. “Can I open them?”

“Yeah!”

He looked down at a crocheted pigeon, feeling a laugh bubble from within him. “Katie, I hope you know this will be named after you.”

“Good; it’s your reminder that I exist!” she smiled at him with an affectionate eyes.

“I’m glad you do.” he matched her expression. “How about that cotton candy?”

“Yes, please!” she reached to take his hand, stopping herself right before she did. “Sorry!”

“Stop doing that!” she looked at him, concerned she’d made him uncomfortable; instead he was looking at her with the most infatuating gaze she’d ever seen. “Stop apologizing for something I want you to do!” he laced his fingers with hers, taking his time getting to the cotton candy stand, not wanting to let go of her hand to pay anyone any time soon.

Pidge caught the time on the clock next to the register and she felt her happiness drain out of her. “It’s already eleven sixteen?! That went by so fast!’

Lance nodded. “Not to mention you have to be home by twelve and this place was pretty far away.” he closed his eyes, probably working out some math in his head. “I think we still have time for the Ferris Wheel if you want to ride! There’s three so one of them has to have a smaller line.”

She nodded, taking a bite of cotton candy as Lance payed the man. He took the bag of stuffed animals from her, so that he could hold her spare hand. She was not shy to show she was very please about this.

They didn't have to wait long for the Ferris Wheel. They sat opposite to each other, their legs touching as they started to go around. They were quiet for a few seconds before the stillness was interrupted by hushed voices, as if discussing something intimate.

“Katie?”

“Lance.”

He chuckled. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything! For asking me out, for winning me a pigeon, for holding my hand; everything about today has been amazing.”

They’re eyes met. His hair was tousled from all the rides and he looked a little sweaty from running around in the warm night air. His eyes were filled with wonder; they seemed to dance in the bright lights from the fair. His lips were curled into a small smile.

She swallowed hard.

The wind passed through the grated walls, cooling the blush on her face. She hesitated a little, but eventually she leaned in, “I have something else you can thank me for.” barely a whisper.

“What’s that?” he matched her tone. He’s eyes were playful and cocky, and he didn't make much of an effort to get closer to her, which only drew her in more. Her hands settled on either side of him.

She hovered above him for a second. Then she leaned in, brushing her lips against his. “That.” she sat back down, her face ablaze.

He was quiet for a moment, and she didn't dare look up, terrified of what expression he might have on his face.

“Not enough.” he said. The balance in the cabin shifted as he threw himself onto his knees in front of her, pulling her down to kiss him properly. "Not nearly enough."

He tasted like cotton candy.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh Keith~!” she sing-songed into the house, her face still rather flushed and her eyes in a dreamy daze. “Where are you~?”

“Not here!” he mumbled from the couch where he’d fallen asleep not long after Shiro left. He sat up, turning off the tv before walking over to her. “What’s the time?” he asked groggily.

“Twelve o'six!” he could tell she was smiling. “Just a little late to spite Shiro, but I see he’s not here.”

“How’d it go?” he tried rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, just enough so he wouldn't pass out on his way to his room.

“Oh my God, KEITH! I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE WORDS!” she sighted. She shuffled through a bag and pulled something out. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, but for now go to bed!” she grabbed his hand and pressed something into his palm before closing his fingers around it. “This is from Lance. Night!” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and with that she was gone.

He gave her door a small smile as he walked into his room and over to the lamp he’d left on earlier. He opened his palm to reveal a handmade felt lion; red like his jacket.

He felt his heart skip a beat.

“This is….” he smiled to himself, holding the lion close to his heart. “Really sweet of him; thank you….”

He looked at himself in the mirror. He frowned.

Something didn’t sit right with him. He wanted to talk to Pidge, ask her about the date. He pictured her face in his mind, flushed and looking like her head was miles away. He grit his teeth. He didn’t understand this sudden surge of emotions; he didn't like them. He’d never felt this way towards Pidge before; what was wrong with him?

Keith shook his head and turned off the light. He touched his cheek where she kissed him, fighting his need to rub it off. He climbed into bed.

He tossed and turned, all the drowsiness he’d been feeling before had vanished. He sighted. He needed to calm down; he was probably just tired.

He turned again and felt himself relax. He felt like an idiot for admitting that the lion on his bedside helped fall asleep that night, but he'd be lying if he said he it didn’t make him feel all warm and pleasant as he closed his eyes.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY!!! HOPEFULLY IT DIDN"T SUCK!!!!  
> KEITH IS CONFUSED  
> LANCE IS CRUSHING  
> PIDGE IS READY TO SUCK THAT D- no, young lady, this is not that kind of story; there will be no dick sucking. go to church (says the atheist fan fiction author to the fictional character.)
> 
> Hopefully next chapter will be up on a Thursday and will be to your liking
> 
> BYEEEE!!!!


	5. “I don’t know man, I’m quality porn star material."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YET ANOTHER DATE!  
> fyi there was a two month time skip between this chapter and the last chapter, so y'all missed more pidgance dates. I WAS gonna write them but i wanna move the story along, soooooo what i was thinking is that those dates can be separate one shots for extra pidgance fluffness !!  
> let me know what y'all think about that !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some Spanish in this chapter. Tbh you don't have to worry about it cause Lance ends up translating (or summing up and then translating), but you can translate it yourself if you want.

“Large Macchiato Espresso?” 

“That’d be me!” Keith walked over to the barista, giving him a small smile as he took the coffee. “Thanks.”

“No problem; make sure to look at the receipt, handsome!” He winked as he walked away to prepare another order.

Keith raised his cup; there was a number surrounded by hearts in the corner of the receipt.

“Look’s like someone’s a people magnet!” Keith felt shivers course up his spine. “It’s probably cause they don’t know you, Pukey.”

Keith turned around, a small smirk on his face. “And you think you know me, ‘Boba tea’?”

Lance’s grin dropped, his face reddening. “Pidge told you.” 

“Pidge tells me many things.” Keith laughed, leaning against the counter. “I can’t believe a nurse almost choked to death; on a boba pearl, no less!”

“Hey! In my defense, I’d never had bubble tea before, I didn’t know what to expect!” he leaned opposite to him on the wall.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have lied and told her it was ‘your all time favorite thing’.” Keith felt his smirk widen as Lance flushed in further embarrassment.

“I need to have a conversation with Katie about what she can and can’t share.” he grumbled.

Keith laughed. “You do realize she’ll tell me anyways right?” Lance rolled his eyes, a smile threatening to appear on his face. “What can she tell me according to you?”

He shrugged, a laugh escaping his lips. “I don’t know man, how about the fact that I make an amazing museum tour guide-!”

“She said you mispronounced ‘Katsushika Hokusai’.” 

“Or that I’m the king of Mario Kart-”

“She says you only won cause she got blue-shelled.”

"Or that I'm basically a marine biologist-"

"I don't think 'nemo' is the actual name of the species, Lance." 

He huffed. “Well, how ‘bout the fact that I’m getting her coffee before our date to the mercado?”

Keith stopped laughing, suddenly feeling a pit in his stomach. “You’re going on a date with Pidge….today?”

Lance stopped his giggling too. “She didn’t tell you?” 

“No, she did; I just thought she was gonna cancel on you….”

“WHAT!? WHY!?” Lance stood up straight.

“There was a-” Lance’s phone rang.

He took it out. “It’s Pidge.” he looked at Keith with panicked eyes. “What do I do?”

Keith looked at him incredulously. “What do you think!? Pick it up, you dumbass!”

“But what do I say!?”

Keith was starting to panic too on his behalf. “I don't fucking know, pick up the phone, Lance!”

“Hello?” he hesitated, his eyes darting from Keith to the floor, then the walls, then back. “Yeah, I know it’s you, Katie-I mean, Pidge! Haha, what’s up?” He looked at Keith, mouthing something about helping him. “No, I’m fine; why do you ask?”

Keith tried not to laugh, Lance looked so helpless it was almost adorable; it WAS adorable. Keith had to hide his mouth with his hands to not laugh out loud.

Suddenly Lance’s nervous smile faltered. “O-Oh, yeah, no I totally understand.” He straighten up, a warm smile spreading on his face. Keith stopped laughing, feeling the heat creep up his cheeks. “Katie, Katie.....” he paused before chuckling. “Do your best; I believe in you.” another pause, another chuckle. “I like you too, Pidge. Talk to you later.” he hung up, taking a deep breath.

“So, did she tell you?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, I hope they win the contest; she deserves the recognition. I don't think I'd have the patience to fix a robot that keeps breaking down over and over.”

“Hey, you never know; you have the patience for her!”

He laughed “That’s true.” his smile faltered again. “I had a whole day planned today; is it selfish of me that I kinda want her to choose me over her career?” he laughed, but didn’t give Keith a chance to answer. “I asked for the day off for nothing too!” Keith could tell he was more than a little disappointed.

“White Vanilla Bean Frappucino and Peach Green Tea Lemonade!”

“That’s me.” Lance leaned in to grab his drinks.

To any on looker (and to Keith), it looked like he was leaning in for a kiss. Keith took a sip of his espresso; he needed to get his head out of the gutter.

“Hey, Keith?”

“Yeah?” He looked at him over his cup. Lance looked like he had that night at the Emergency Room; with the sun shining behind him, making him looked heaven-sent. 

He smiled, and Keith swore his legs almost gave out. “Let’s go on a date today.”

 

* * *

  
  
  


Keith knew why he was here; because Lance didn’t want to spend his day off alone and have it be wasted. Keith knew that. He kept telling himself there was no other reason.

After having spat his espresso all over the place (“Hey, you can be ‘Spity’ instead of ‘Pukey’!”), and Lance explaining that he DID have to go to the market, and wanted Keith to come with, the two of them made their way to Lance’s car.

The ride there was quiet, mostly because Keith spend it staring at Lance as he sang along to show tunes as he drived. Keith wondered if he and Pidge would sing the duets together.

Keith looked down at the frappucino melting in one of the cup holders.

He was only here cause Katie was not. 

“We’re here!” Lance said as he parked his car. “You hungry?”

“Not really, I’d just had breakfast before we met at the coffee shop.”

“Alright then we’ll just parade around today, but next time I’m gonna treat you to Mexican food.”

“Like Chipotle?”

Lance looked at him with disgust. “You have so much to learn, mijo.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Just show me around, you ass!”

They strolled through the food portion of the mercado. Every now and then, Lance would stop to say hi to some of the ladies selling vegetables. They’d all talk loudly in Spanish as he and Lance walked away.

Keith turned to Lance, who was currently having a nice chat with an old man and his wife. He wished he'd paid more attention during Spanish class in high school. 

He felt a tug on his pants and he looked down to find a little girl with brown skin, her hair in braids. “Tu eres su novio, verda? Yo siempre pensé que Lance tenía novia pero ya veo que no!”

“Marianita, no!” Lance pulled the little girl away from Keith, his cheeks a little red. “El es un amigo! Y si, si tengo novia; namas no vino hoy!”

“Si tu lo dices!” she ran towards the other little girls in the corner.

Lance sighted. “Come on!” He stirred Keith away with an arm around his shoulders. “The girls here are chismosas as fuck.”

“What'd she say?” Keith asked, looking back at the girls, who were now giggling at them along with the old ladies from before. 

“They think you’re Pidge, and they’re very confused cause ‘Lance, the Pidge you brought has a dick!’.” Lance rolled his eyes, failing to not be amused by them. “You should be glad you can’t understand half of what their saying.”

“Why?” Keith raised a brow.

Lance smirked. “It’s about us fucking.”

“Would it really be that bad?” Keith almost slapped himself. The way he'd said that hadn’t come out jokingly at all.

Lance whistled, oblivious to the suggestive tone in Keith’s voice. “I don’t know man, I’m quality porn star material; how does you body look under all that plaid and leather?”

Keith laughed, easing back into playful banter. “Better than you could ever imagine.”

Lance snorted. “I’m sure; let's go, I need to go buy shoes.”

“You buy shoes at the mercado?” Keith said that not in a judging way, more of a ‘I-didn’t-think-this-place-full-of-food-selled-shoes’ kinda way.

“It’s where I bought my knock-off yeezys that SOMEBODY” Lance cocked a brow as Keith blushed. “Puked all over.”

He looked at Lance, who was doing his best not to burst out in laughter, and with a dead serious face, Keith turned on his heel. “I gotta go.” 

Lance laughed as he grabbed Keith’s hand to keep him in place. His laughter was so nice to hear, but Keith was completely frozen thanks to the warm grip on his hand. His face felt totally flushed; he was pretty sure even his ears were red.

Lance sighed as he finally collected himself. “Alright, alright; don’t leave me.” Keith turned to see him smiling at him. “Let’s go!”

Keith let himself be pulled by Lance, his hand still holding onto his.

Everything slowed down. He noticed the little things he’d been missing the past few weeks; the way Lance’s hair curled at the edges, the way freckles dusted his nose after the little time they’d been out in the sun. For the first time he saw how long his eyelashes were, and how neatly filed he kept his nails.

He noticed for the first time why every time Lance picked up Katie he was uncomfortable. How every time he prayed that he’d arrive a little earlier so they could talk. He noted how every time Lance and Pidge walked in from a date he’d become reclusive; especially if they touched in any way in front of him.

He became aware of how the lion Lance won him at the fair was still by his bed. How the postcard they got him from the art museum was taped to his mirror, and the pen they got him from the aquarium was always tucked in the pocket of his jacket. He was now very aware of how disappointed he was every time they didn't bring him anything from their dinner and movie dates; as if they’d forgotten about him, though he knew this wasn’t true.

He realized how unbelievably overjoyed he was when Katie had told him she couldn't make it to her date with Lance today; how he found himself dressing in his best pair of pants and running a comb through his hair for the first time in years. How he suddenly found himself at their meeting spot, having walked there as if on autopilot.

He squeezed Lance’s hand, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The man in question looked back at him with a blinding smile; Keith felt the need to wear shades.  

“You okay?” Lance asked. Keith only now noticed they’d come to a stop before a stand selling off-brand sneakers.

“Yeah….” it came out in a hushed whisper.

“You sure?” Lance returned his gaze to the shoes.

“Peachy….” his mouth felt dry.

“Oh! I like these; they’re my size too!” Lance took his hand away to pick up the sneakers. Keith slipped his into his back pocket. “What do you think?”

“They’re nice.”

“Hmm.” Lance looked at him for a second. Then he turned to the man at the stand, handing over some cash. “I’ll take em.” he took the bag with his new shoes and turned to Keith once more. Lance didn’t fail to notice his mood this time. “Come on; I know what’ll cheer you up.”

Without hesitation, Lance grabbed Keith by his arm, pulling at it till his hand was back in Lance’s. Keith gasped, allowing himself to be dragged through the crowd once more.

Was Lance aware of what he was doing to him? Was he aware of what he was doing overall? Was this on purpose? What about Katie? This felt so surreal he could hear guitars in his head. 

Nope, those were not in his head; those were actual guitars. There was a whole fucking mariachi band to be exact, playing for the men and women dancing in the square. Keith almost slapped himself when Lance dropped his bag to the side and offered him a hand.

“Why?” Keith hoped it didn't come out as pained as it felt.

“What do you mean why? Keith Kogane when was the last time anyone felt sad while dancing?”

“You clearly have never tried rocking out to ‘Linkin Park’ or ‘My Chemical Romance’.” Keith could feel a small smirk on his face. 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Oh shut up, emo lord.” Keith snorted. “Come on! Dance, dance!” he stopped before smirking. “Come fall out, boy.”

Keith cringed, but took his hand as Lance backtracked into the center of the dance floor. “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Oof! Compared to all the other worst things I’ve said over the last two months?!” Lance took his other hand and started to sway him side to side. “I’m wounded!”

“Okay, okay….” Keith started swinging to the beat too, matching Lance’s steps. “I guess ‘Pukey’ is definitely the worst of the worst.”

Lance laughed, spinning Keith. Lance laced his fingers with his, pulling towards and away from him. Keith laughed as well. 

“Do you sweep Pidge off her feet like this too?”

Lance thrusted him away, using his free hand to dramatically cover his heart. “No, not yet.” he pulled Keith back, who yelped as Lance wrapped his arms around him and spoke into his ear. “But apparently I’ve swept you?”

Keith laughed, the nerves starting to creep back up on him. “Like dust under the rug.” he unwrapped himself from Lance’s grasp, returning to their original dancing position. “Who does that shit anyways? That’s such a half tidy move.”

Lance laughed. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.” Keith spun Lance so he couldn't see the blush on his cheeks.

“It’s about Katie.” Keith's heart sank. He would've tripped over his own two feet if it wasn't for Lance’s steady grip on him.  "I'm thinking of dating her; like, officially, you know? Making her my girlfriend! What do you think?" 

Keith felt his entire world cracking. He spun Lance into his arms, taking in his warmth, his smell, his eyes. He tried to bite his tongue; he really did. 

But he couldn’t. 

"Don’t."

Lance unwrapped himself from his arms and his hands. Keith wanted nothing more in the world than to pull him back. “What? Why not...?" 

Keith could feel himself start to sweat. "She’s not really into labels." he choked out.

“Maybe, but, Keith, don't you think this time’s different?” Lance stepped closer to him, Keith traid very hard not to back away. “Like, maybe she feels the same way I do! Maybe-Maybe this is worth labeling by this point! I think-! I think I’m in love with her!” Keith didn’t say anything. “Keith.” nothing. “Keith, please just look at me.” he did. Lance was looking at him with pleading eyes. Keith stopped breathing. “Just give me some reassurance! I mean, I have no reason not to try right?”

“You do.” stop talking. Stop talking. STOP TALKING. 

“What is it then?” his tone was a little annoyed.

“No, never mind; it’s nothing….!” Stop. For her sake; please stop.

“Spit it out, Kogane!”

“I said it’s nothing, just forget it!”

“Keith, why shouldn’t I date Katie?!”

"Lance-"

"JUST TELL ME!"

“BECAUSE I’M HERE TOO!” He couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss to Lance's lips. He pulled away, looking anywhere but at him as he kept speaking. “Didn’t you consider the small possibility that I might like you too?! Granted, I didn’t realize it at first either, but-!” He gulped, feeling his pulse quicken by the second. “Is-Isn’t there a small chance you could like me instead?!”

Time stopped. The music stopped. The laughing, the clapping, the dancing; everything had stopped after his outburst. Lance eyes widen, as if finally comprehending what Keith had confessed. 

He was blushing. He was sweaty and disheveled, and he was covering his mouth with his hand. “Keith, I-! I-I-I didn’t-! I didn’t-” he struggled to find the right words; any words.

Keith looked around. Women, men, children; everyone was staring.

He ran for it, forcing himself to go faster every time Lance called out his name.

He felt the tears slip down his face.

What the fuck had he done?

 

* * *

 

  
  


When he got home, he didn’t announce his entrance like he usually did. 

He looked around the apartment he’d lived in for a good chunk of his life now. The walls were covered in picture frames, and while usually this was very endearing to him, today he wanted nothing more than to take them down. 

He walked into the kitchen and sat in a stool by the counter. Before returning home he’d gone just about everywhere; bookstores; art supply stores, a game stop, and even stopped by the mall just to stroll around without actual aim like most of the shoppers.

In other words; he’d been delaying his arrival home.

What was he supposed to say? He’d told Katie he’d go for coffee and come back. Instead he got coffee, hijacked her date, confessed to essentially falling in love with said date the night he puked on his shoes, and to top it off: he’d kissed him. HE KISSED HIM FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

He took a deep breath.

Lance had surely called her already; had they laughed it off? Did they fight? What if they’d broken up? 

He snapped up. 

Could people break up if they weren't officially together?!

He grunted. 

Why was he so stupid!? What had come over him? He’d been living in happy obliviousness for more than a month! Why did it have to be today of all days that the cat clawed it's way out of the bag? 

“Keith!” Pidge popped her head into the kitchen, strolling over to sit on the counter in front of him. “There you are! We were getting worried! Turn your phone on, fucker.”

“Hey, Katie.” wait. “‘We’?”

She frowned. “‘Katie’?” she crossed her arms. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” he lied. “Who’s ‘we’?”

“Me and Lance.” he hoped she didn't catch the way he flinched at his name. “He said you two spent the day together.”

“He did?” Keith asked, surprise a little to evident in his tone.

She cocked a brow. “Yeah….Did you not?” 

“No, we did.” he nodded.

She shrugged with a smile. “I think it’s nice of you to accompany him to get new shoes after you puked on his old ones.”

“Right; it was no problem.”

“I’m glad you two are getting along.” she had no idea. “Where’d you go after?”

Based on the fact she didn’t bring it up; Keith chose not to bring it up either. “Around; I didn’t feel like coming home just yet.”

“Fair enough;” she laughed. “It smelled like smoke in here for a while; I know you hate the smell.”

“It’s a bad smell.” he chuckled, starting to feel at ease again.

“True, true.” she wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his head. He relaxed into her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. “So....did Lance say anything about me?”

He was about to lie again. He didn't want to. He took a shaky breath. “Actually, Katie-”

“Oh, my God, what’d he say?” she pulled away to look at him, her eyes filled with giddy.

“He mentioned…..” he felt a small smirk pull at his lips. “Actually, that’s something he’s gotta tell you himself.”

“NO! Keith! I don’t want to wait until tomorrow!”  she laughed, punching him gently in the shoulder. “You’re the worst best friend slash wingman ever.”

He laughed awkwardly, “Maybe I wasn’t meant to be a wingman.”

“Maybe….” she was silent for a second. The expression she had was so peaceful and serene it almost didn’t feel like he was looking at a real person. This was a face you saw carved on a statue or in a work of art. “Do you….” she chuckled. “Keith can I be honest with you?” Keith felt his stomach drop as she fell silent once more. 

Please don’t. “Yeah, sure….”

“I think I’m in love with him.” she ran a hand through her hair. “It’s been two months, and we’re not official; but there’s something about him; no matter how stupid he can be.” her infatuated eyes stared off at the ceiling. “He’s kind, and reliable; he knows how to make me feel....alive! For the first time in years I feel butterflies in my stomach. I honestly can’t see him causing me pain; he is a nurse after all.” she snorted.

Her joke was met with silence.

He felt her hand run through his hair now, pushing his bangs out of his face. “I can’t see him hurting you either." He knew what she meant; she didn't think Lance would mind him being gay. Keith wasn’t so sure after today. "He’s a good guy, Keith; I’m glad the two most important men in my life tolerate each other.”

“What about Matt?”

"Matt may be four years older than me but he ain't a man." She laughed.

"Wow, rude much?" he got up, slowly untangling himself from her embrace. “I don’t feel very well; I’m just gonna go to bed.”

“Oh, okay.” he started to walk away when she spoke again. “I love you.”

He hesitated, before turning with a small and tired smile. “Love you too.”

She beamed at him, “Night, Honey Buns.”

“Night, Sugarplum.”

He should be happy right? He was in the clear; Lance hadn’t said anything.

That hurt more.

They were going on another date tomorrow to make up for the one they couldn't have today. He felt sick in his stomach. Tomorrow she would be where he had been; in his arms, in his eyes, in his mind. 

She also had the privilege of being in his heart. 

A surge of bitterness coursed through his system, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

He couldn't fall asleep that night. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> deep breaths guys.
> 
> deep.  
> breaths.
> 
> everything will be okay!
> 
> not in the next chapter but eventually !!!
> 
> see ya next Thursday ma peeps ;3


	6. "Okay, maybe let's not play yo-yo with your drunk sister?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrecked! Keith™  
> Short Pidgance date that's good for the soul  
> Also Matt is a dick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay its on time!! Also there are two references here, one of them is (quite obviously) Heathers, the other is lowkey inspired by In The Heights (The Club to be more specific). Also idk what happened with the italics from the texting just bare with me okay?
> 
> IMPORTANT:  
> idfk how old they are anymore. it didnt matter before cause you can sorta guess-timate their ages based on the little information i give about these matters but like here's the thing; this chapter references Lance's parents and more specifically a song by Jose Jose that came out in 1969, so to make sure the story lined up i did the math so officially Lance's 38 (so is Keith), Pidge is 36, and Shiro and Matt are 40. 
> 
> so yeah have fun with these new ages but you don't have to apply them if you don't want to i just though it was funny that i made it cannon that Pidge still has her V card at 36 oops.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Shiro stared at him, not paying much attention to the game on the tv.

“I’m fine; why do you ask?” Keith kept his eyes glued to the screen. He grunted, “Shiro, this is a two player game which means two players need to be playing; how about some help?”

“I’m just saying you don't look ‘fine’....like, at all.”

“Shiro, I’m fucking dying.” Keith exclaimed motioning to the screen where he was getting swarmed by zombies.

“I mean, you don’t seem like yourself today….”

"Shiro. Fucking. Help. Me!”

“Did something happen with-?”

“FUCK!” Keith threw the controller on the ground as the banner telling them they’d lost the game appeared on the screen. He pulled his legs to his chest.

“Keith.” he laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m your brother; you can talk to me.”

“Nothing’s wrong….” Keith muttered. “It’s not like I have anything to be upset about.”

Shiro rubbed circles on his back, trying for a reassuring smile. “You sure?”

Keith swallowed, taking a sip of water. “Yeah….”

 

* * *

Had the Pidge from a two months ago seen her today, she might’ve laughed. Or gagged. Or both; probably both.

But as Pidge looked at herself in a skirt she hadn’t worn since the eighth grade, she felt really good.

Granted it was a little humiliating to still fit into her middle school clothes, but it looked nice!

SHE looked nice.

The skirt wasn’t much; just brown suede with pockets, but she felt great in it; even if it did nothing for her already low-key silhouette.

She grabbed her bag and her phone; Lance was waiting for her downstairs.

They’d had to wait till after Lance’s shift for their date, so instead of going to the market place they were going to Lance’s favorite spot.

She wasn’t lying when she said that was the only thing she knew about tonight.

She smiled nervously as she walked over to the front of the apartment, trying to figure out where the hell they were going. She could hear Keith’s video game and a voice that seemed to be Shiro’s was talking to him.

She didn’t know Shiro was here! She stopped herself.

She didn’t even know Keith was here.

He’d left early in the morning and she hadn’t seen him all day. He must’ve comed in not that long ago, otherwise she probably would've heard him by now. She wasn’t sure but something seemed off.

She shook her head; disappearing wasn't unlike him; he’d probably gotten some last minute gig and that’s why Shiro was here too.

Her pocket buzzed; It was Lance.

 

-  _ _You almost done?__  
_-I have the Heathers soundtrack ready and waiting!_

 

She snorted.

 

 - _ _I can’t believe you’re going to make me sit through you belting Blue AGAIN!!!__  
_-I'm gonna need two more minutes, is that okay?_

  
   
__-You loved it ;P__  
_-And Sure_  
_-Just hurry up; my favorite spot is waaaaiiiittttinnnggggg_

  
   
__-UGGGHHHH__  
_-Can I at least get a hint!?_

  
   
__-NOPE__

  
   
__-I hate you__

 

 _ _- <3_ _  
_-Bring a jacket_  
_-That’s all I’m saying…….._

  
   
__-Okay MOM__

  
   
__-HEY__  
_-That’s Daddy for you ;3_

 

 

She laughed, pocketing the phone and making her way towards the tv room to say hi.

“FUCK!” She assumed the crashing noise was Keith throwing his controller.

“Keith, I’m your brother; you can talk to me.” She poked her head in, watching as Shiro patted his brother's shoulder as Keith buried his fance in his hands.

“Nothing’s wrong….” Keith muttered. “It’s not like I have anything to be upset about.”

Shiro rubbed circles on his back, trying for a reassuring smile. “You sure?”

“Yeah….”

 

“Well that was hardly convincing.” She made herself visible.

Shiro smiled at her. “You look nice Katie.”

“Thanks!” She twirled for him, almost immediately regretting it because jeez that felt so awkward and unnatural. “I, uh, I don’t know what that was.”

He chuckled. “That was you looking great.” She beamed at him. “Hot date with Lance today?”

She smirked, “You know it! I don’t really know what we’re doing though; said we were going to his ‘secret spot’.”

“Suspicious.” Shiro smirked. “Bring a condom.”

Keith spat, retching as he tried to cough up the water he’d wrongly swallowed.

“You okay?” Pidge came closer to pat his back.

Keith smacked her hand away.

The room fell deathly silent after the sound of skin hitting skin.

Pidge stared at Keith with wide eyes, bringing her hand close to her chest.

“You’re gonna be late.” Shiro blurted. Unsure of what to do or say, he stood to guide her to the door. “You better not keep him waiting.”

Pidge maneuvered her way away from his grasp. “NO! Keith, what the FUCK!?” her voice came out kind of strained. To some this might seem over dramatic; those people would’ve just walked away after their friend dismissed them as such. But Katelyn Holt was not one of those people.

“I didn’t meant to….” he didn't look at her.

“So then why did you?” she tried to calm down, the thoughts she’d dismissed earlier crawling back. “I’m not stupid; plus I’ve known you for years! What’s wrong with you?” She kneeled in front of him, trying to not cry when he moved his gaze away from her once more. “You’ve been like this since yesterday! What happened!?” she tried to take his hand. “Was….Was it something Lance said?”

He pulled his hand away, standing up and walking away. “You’re gonna be late.”

“Keith!” She tried to go after him, but Shiro grabbed her wrist. “No, hold on, let me talk to him-!”

“I’ll do it. You have to go.”

“But-!”

“Katie.” she turned to look at him, a warm smile on his face. “Go. Have fun. I’ll tell you everything when you get back, okay?” he pulled something from his pocket, pressing it into the hand of the wrist he was holding. “Don’t let this ruin your night.”

She opened her hand, a laugh finding its way from within her as she looked at the neon pink condom in her hand. Finally, she smiled and Shiro let her go. “Okay.” she grabbed her coat from the rack and left with a small smiled on her face.

As soon as she was gone Shiro dropped his.

Was this their problem to fix? Yes.

Were they going to fix it by themselves? Probably not.

Shiro walked over to Keith’s room. He was pleasantly surprised to find the door unlocked. He pushed it open, giving the door an annoyed look as it creaked. He should fix that at some point.

“Keith?”

“Go away, Takashi.”

Yikes. That bad, huh? Shiro walked into his room.

The blinds were closed, there were clothes all over the place and his camera and photography equipment was just lying around on his desk. Keith was curled up in his bed, knees to his chest and as close to the wall as he could get.

“Keith, please; tell me what’s bothering you!” he sat the edge of the bed.

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fine.” Shiro layed down next to him, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.

He heard ruffling behind him. “You’re not gonna ask again?”

He shrugged. “Keith, I love you, but last time I tried to get something out of you I almost stabbed you with a fork.”

“I really thought you were gonna...” Keith mumbled.

“Oh, I was totally gonna do it, but like….I wasn’t about to fork-shank you with Allura and her uncle across the table.”

Keith sighted. “What a charming first date for the two off you.”

“Could say the same for you and your first meeting with Lance.” Shiro snorted. “Puking is worse than brother abuse.”

The sheets ruffled as Keith shifted in the bed once more. Shiro almost didn’t catch it with all the noise, but he heard it and his eyes snapped open. Keith had sniffled.

He looked over at his brother, who had small tears forming in his eyes.

“Keith, I-” he reached for him.

“I kissed Lance.”

“You what….!” Shiro sucked in a breath. “Keith! What-! When…!?”

“When we were out at the market place thing! We-we were joking around, and talking, and he-he was dancing with me! He was holding my hands and twirling me in his arms and I-!” Keith sobbed, letting the tears finally slip from his eyes. “I couldn't stop myself.”

Shiro didn’t say anything. He didn't know if that was helping or if it was hurting him. He pulled Keith closer to him, letting him cry against his chest. The smaller man gripped the other’s shirt with one hand, holding onto a lion doll on the other one.

Shiro stroked Keith’s hair as he started to talk again. “I should’ve said something! This is my fault for not telling Lance I was gay! He didn't know…..! He-He’s not a bad person, Shiro! He probably didn't even know he was leading me on! He just didn’t know!” he sobbed once more. “I wanted to tell Katie, I wanted to I promise! But how do you tell your best friend you’re in love with their boyfriend, Shiro?!” he wiped at his eyes. “How do you tell her you’re begging to the heavens he’ll leave her for me!?”

Shiro didn’t say anything.

He simply held his brother as he cried.

Was this their problem to fix? Yes.

Would they fix it with or without his help? He didn’t know anymore….

 

 

* * *

 

They arrived at a club after three too many encores of Dead Girl Walking; each time Lance refused to let Pidge sing Veronica’s part, so she settled for singing JD in obnoxious voices.

Pidge wanted to be surprised about the fact that Lance's favorite 'spot' was a club, but deep down she knew this was bound to happen at some point.

Of course extrovert, loud-mouth, ‘spend-these-thirty-hours-getting-freaky’ Lance McClain would love clubbing.

Pidge thrived in quiet and reserved spaces. She’d loved their dates at the fair and the arcade, but she’d liked walking hand in hand through the art gallery and the aquarium better. How’s she’d convinced herself that he was slowly becoming less sociable was beyond her.

Lance finally parked the car and turned to her, “Tah-dah!” he grinned. “Surprised?”  

She gave a weak smile. “I guess.”

He frowned. “You don’t wanna go?”

“I do I do, I just….feel…..” she racked her brain for the right word. “Gauche.”

“Pidge?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t fucking know what that means.”

She laughed. “It means I feel awkward and unsophisticated.”

He raised a brow, a smirk playing at his lips. “Why would anyone want to feel sophisticated at a club? What? You gonna smoke a pipe and turn up in a top hat?”

She shoved him playfully. “Shut up! I’m just not a club-y person! I’m wearing a baseball tee for fucks sake, I didn’t know I was gonna BE at a club!” she huffed as she tucked a curl behind her ear. “I have clothes for clubbing by the way; I could’ve dressed better had I known.”

Lance thought for a moment, before getting out of the car and walking over to open the door for her. He extended his hand to her and helped her out of the car. They stared at each other for a bit, then he smiled at her hand still in his. “I like this. Skirt, high tops, tee-shirt. It’s all you.” he smirked. “Plus I’m in jeans and a crop top so chill; this is a dance club, and literally no one cares what you wear when dancing.”

“I don’t know how to dance Lance.”

“Please, Katie! That’s what I’m here for.” he ran a hand through his hair, flashing her a condescending grin.

She rolled her eyes, amusement curling at her lips. “Fine, let’s go.”

As they walked in, unapologetically loud music was playing. She didn’t mind it though; it was pleasant to the ear and it did make her want to dance. Plus it was a change from overplayed radio songs by pop singers in their twenties.

She also noticed no one was wearing anything too fancy, which was a huge relief.

The band on stage was jamming out a funky beat as the couples on the dance floor matched his rhythm with their dancing and Pidge had a brief moment of calm. Then the man started to singing and Pidge almost did a one eighty turn and left.

The guy was singing in spanish.

Now that she listened harder she realized EVERYONE around her was speaking spanish.

Lance had taken her to a latin club.

OF COURSE Lance had taken her to a latin club; how had she not figured out he would do this?!

She followed Lance as he marched up to the bar. She was trying very hard not to bite his head off as she sat. He knew how unbelievably poor her understanding of the spanish language was. She’d taken french in school, so she was much worse than Keith, who was already pretty bad to begin with.

She was screwed tonight.

The bartender turned around and flashed them a grin before making his way over. “Lance! No chingues cabron no te eh visto en meses, que onda guey!?” he offered his hand for a high five and a fist bump.

“Ya sabes, el deber de un enfermero nunca acaba!” Lance grinned.

“Que tomas?”

“Dos micheladas porfavor, mi Salvador; una con Tajín.”

“Dos?” the bartender turned to look at at Pidge, who was doing her best to pretend like she understood what they were saying. “Y esta chula?”

“Salvador, esta es Kati!” Lance wrapped his arms around her.

“Ah no bueno, claro, como se me pudo olvidar! Es Kati!”  Pidge didn't need to understand spanish to know everything he’d just say was dripped with sarcasm. The man rolled his eyes and turned to her once more. “El placer es mio, linda; aunque dejame decirte que as escogido un novio de la mierda!”

“Si?” Pidge tried for a smile, the awkwardness crawling back up her spine.

The bartender blinked before bursting out laughing. “NO BUENO, QUE BUEN GUSTO TIENES, PENDEJO!”

“Chupatela, Salvador; no habla Español!” Lance snapped back. He didn’t look mad so much as amused to whatever it was Pidge had said yes to. “Traime los tragos!” he turned back to her with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, he’s used to speaking only spanish.”

“What did I agree to?”

“Your terrible taste in men.”

“Oh, okay good.”

“Pidge no!” he laughed as he shoved her playfully. “I ordered you a Mexican style beer, I hope that’s cool.”

“I’m not much of a drinker but I’ll try it.” she smiled her thanks as the bartender returned with their drinks. “Is that salt on the rim?”

“Yeah, try it!”

She took a sip. “Not bad.”

The music stopped and people started to applaud the band as they made their exit. Another man soon took the stage, sitting himself on the piano. He bantered to the audience for a little, who all seemed to be getting impatient with him, but soon forgot when he started to play.

“Oh, my gosh! This is my mom’s song!” Lance leaped out of his seat.

“Elaborate?” she gave him an amused smile.

“This is the song they dance to when they first met! They play it whenever they can; at their wedding, anniversaries, at any party with a dj they can bribe; it’s their love jam!”

“That’s so sweet!” she smiled. “My parent’s love each other, but they’re very conservative people; they wouldn't do that.”

“Remind me to make out with you at the dinner table if I ever meet them.” he smirked.

“WHEN you meet them.” she stood, feeling giddiness bubbling in her stomach. “Dance with me.”

“I thought you said you didn't know how to dance.” he took her hand and walked to the dance floor.

“I don't;” she placed his hands on her hips. “So you’re gonna have to step up for the both of us.”

“That I can do.” He stepped closer to her. “By the way, you should feel flattered; I'm only dancing to this song with you 'cause my girlfriend; I'd've refuse with anyone else.”

He choked.

She flushed as she processed what he’d just said. “Wait Lance…..Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”

He blushed. “Y-Yeah….but this is SO not how I practiced it….it was gonna be less accidental and more 'sweep-you-off-your-feet' like.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I want to be your girlfriend.” she pulled him down for a quick kiss.

He grinned against her lips. “Good! This is now officially our song too!” she laughed at how his eyes lit up with excitement.

“I don’t know, man, I’m pretty sure Dead Girl Walking earned it’s place as our song after you made me remember the few lines JD has!”

“At least you’ll know it’s me if anyone tries to break into your apartment.”

“On the eighth floor?” he grinned. She rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders and started to sway with the music. “Alright McClain, enough B and E talk;" she tried for a more seductive tone "Sweep me off my feet.”

He looked a little taken back for a second before settling for a cocky smirk. “Oh, baby, you’re going to regret that open invitation!”

 

 

* * *

 

Lance sometimes hated being an ER nurse.

Ten thirty seven, only six hours after his shift ended, and his boss was already requesting he come back for his next shift in an hour and a half. Lately his shifts started literally first thing in the morning and wouldn't end up till around noon; three in the afternoon if it was a busy day or they were short. He’d have to catch up on sleep at odd hours and it was pretty impossible to live.

He reached Pidge’s apartment and parked outside. He took out look at her and he couldn't help but laugh. She’d mentioned before that the only person who could hold their alcohol in the family was her mother, and that she, Matt, and her father were gone after two drinks.

She hadn't been kidding; and yet she’d been on her fifth round when they left the club.

Note to self; never take your girlfriend drinking again.

He smiled.

‘Girlfriend’.

He opened the door for her and helped her climb onto his back. He did NOT  trust her to walk straight.

Lance made his way to the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. He didn't have her keys and either way he wasn't about to barge in like that.

He took a deep breath. Here’s to hoping Keith would be home and awake to let them in.

Lance shook his head. He wasn't going to start thinking about this right now.

He stopped at her door and took in a deep breath.

He knocked.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three-.

The buff guy from Keith’s hospital visit opened the door.

“Hello Lance.” he smiled. “You are back way-oh gosh.” his eyes had landed on Pidge.

“Shiro, right?”

“Yes.” he looked at Pidge again. “Drunk, right?”

“Most definitely.”

“Ahh, wonderful.” he turned back into the house. “MATT! YOUR SISTER’S HOME!”

“WHAT DO I CARE?”

“SHE’S DRUNK!”

“HOLD ON LET ME GET MY PHONE THIS HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE HER GRADUATION!”

Shortly after some audible scrambling, a man who looked like Pidge but with stubble and taller came out.

Lance couldn't help but laugh. ‘The Pidge you brought has a dick’ thing would’ve been more fitting if he’d brought Matt to the mercado instead of Keith.

His smile faltered.

“Oh my god this is gold.” Matt took some pictures before eventually taking Katie as well. “Nice to meet you, by the way; I’m Matt!” he grinned at him. “Want to come in?”

“Matt-!”

“Actually,” Lance interrupted Shiro, who looked a little surprised. “I have to go back to work in a few; I should maybe go clean up to make sure I don't look or smell like I’ve had a drink or two.”

“Oh wow sucks to be you!” Matt laughed.

Lance laughed too. “Tell me about it; stable job, great appartment, healthy relationship.”

“Please don't talk about my sister like she's anything but unhealthy!" Lance snickered. "Sleeps poorly, lives of sugary starbucks drinks; I mean look at this mess!” he bounced her in his arms. Her response was to groan and hit him weakly in the chest.

“I will barf on you Matthew Holt!” she managed.

“Okay, maybe let's not play yo-yo with your drunk sister?” Shiro took her from him when Matt didn't stop the bouncing. He turned to Lance with a smile that left him with a pit in his stomach. “Next time?”

“Next time.” he nodded, unsure of what else to say. He knew.

“Here;” Matt handed him a piece of gum with numbers on it. “It’s my number. Please feel free to ask for any blackmail material I will give it to you.”

And with that, the door closed on him.

He pocketed the wrapper and chewed on the gum as he made his way to the elevator.

When the doors finally closed he dropped to the floor and felt the knot in his throat tighten.

He wanted to talk to Keith. He needed to talk to Keith.

But the thought of him coming to the door just now had been terrifying.

The thought of seeing him again even more so.

He wasn't ready to face him.

He wasn't ready to break his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, here's the dialogue in Spanish:
> 
> "Lance! What the hell man I have not seen you in months, what's up fam!? "
> 
> "oh You know; a nurse's job never ends!"
> 
> "What're you drinking?"
> 
> "Two micheladas (beers with lime or lemon juice mixed in. usually drunk with salt on the rim of the glass with added flavor. Lance likes his with tajin ((chilli powder)) on the rim aswell) please, my Salvador (that the bartenders name) one with tajin please."
> 
> "Two? And this cutie? "
> 
> "Salvador, this is Katie!"
> 
> "Ah no duh, of course, how I could forget! It's Katie! The pleasure is mine, beautiful; Although let me tell you that you picked a shit of a boyfriend! "
> 
> "Yes?"
> 
> "OMFG WHAT A GREAT TASTE IN WOMEN YOU HAVE, FUCKER."
> 
> "Suck it, Salvador; she does not speak spanish! Bring me the drinks."
> 
> -.-.-.-.-
> 
> Aaaaaand here's the link to the song (not the original Jose Jose version, cause this one has a more funky rythem to dance to.)  
> Café Tacuba - “Una Mañana” unplugged  
> https://youtu.be/a3LnL81Z4l0


	7. “Why not just….Fuck I don't know….”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drunk and Emotional™ Pidge  
> Tired and Done™ Keith  
> shit goes down  
> Shiro may or may not be the savior of this story  
> Matt may or may not have bad timing for jokes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, this is very late; hear me out  
> i spent all of friday at the ER (im not dead unfortunately), Saturday i was out of the house the whole day, Sunday i left my house at 9:30 and didn't return until tuesday at like 10:30, my family came into town wednesday and i've had no time to write.  
> so im sorry if this is not very good.
> 
> I'm not good with writing relationship struggles or sad shit as a whole, why? idfk i used to be. 
> 
> I think it's just the fact that A) too many people are in the scene. B) Idk how to write sensitive Pidge or sensitive Keith cause they dont really break down in the show.
> 
> I took a lot of liberty by making Pidge drunk in the last chapter to have this aid me in this one, so she's excused for being OOC. 
> 
> idk what keith's problem is though.   
> my poor son is too OOC even for me.  
> im so sorry son.
> 
> carry on pls dont bully me.

“Next time?” Shiro asked with a smile he hoped didn't look as guilty as he felt.

“Next time.” Lance nodded, a somewhat awkward smile on his face. Shiro gulped; he knew.

“Here;” Matt handed Lance a piece of gum, which Shiro recognized as his ‘pick up gum’. “It’s my number. Please feel free to ask for any blackmail material I will give it to you.”

And with that, they closed the door on him.

Katie groaned. “Can you set me down; I’m a better drunk than Matt, but I might puke still.”

“Hey! For the record, I am the SHIT when I’m drunk!” Shiro gave Matt a weak laugh as he set Katie down.

“Whatever; I need food and water otherwise I’m gonna commit homicide tomorrow.”

“I’ll bring you some; Matt, take her to the couch.”

He watched as the two sibling stumbled over to the TV room. They’d been watching one of Keith’s crappy movies in order to cheer him up. Shiro could tell she was as excited as Matt had been when Keith made his pick; not at all.

He laughed as he heard them both start to simultaneously complain about the events on screen. Shiro walked into the kitchen and grabbed a miga sandwich from the the fridge and stuck in in the toaster. He’d been pouring Katie a glass of water when Keith walked in.

“Hey, I found the Airplane dvd; it was under my bed.” he grinned.

Shiro smiled as Keith started to ramble about what else he’d found in there.

Keith had arrived at Shiro's office before him, and had allegedly been there since the ungodly hour of four am. He spent the day sat in a corner, being a dick to Shiro's coworkers.

When they finally got to Keith's apartment, it took Shiro several rounds of zombie games to finally give into curiosity and ask what was wrong, since Keith had refused to say anything the whole day.

Clearly that had gone very well.

Shiro found himself relying on Matt to cheer him up after Keith finally broke down and told him everything. At first, Keith had been a little skeptical, thinking this was some sort of ploy to guilt trip him to confess, but he'd found Matt’s company quite refreshing.

Unlike Matt, Pidge was incredibly observant. Neither Shiro nor Keith thought Matt was stupid, far from it, but he simply thought his time was better spent on living his life rather than analyzing everything about someone else's.

Shiro knew that he’d be the best person for Keith at the moment. He’d even managed to get Keith showered and changed.

The toaster popped out the miga, pulling Keith’s attention away from his unnecessarily long story about a sock he’d been certain was gone for good until a few minutes ago.

“Who’s that for?”

“Katie’s home early.”

“WHAT?!” he poked his head out from the kitchen, trying to look into the tv room. Sure enough, there she sat, practically on her brother, as she shamelessly criticized Creeping Terror. He frowned. “Is she drunk?”

“Yeah, Lance-”

“Don't say his name!” he blurted out. Then, after clearing his throat, he continued. “He should know better than to let her drink....she gets weird.”

“I wonder what made her want to drink tonight.” Shiro shot him an amused look. Keith huffed. “Why don't you take these to her?”

“Shiro, no, I-” he looked over at her again. Shiro remembered when Keith first came out to their mom. Same helpless look, fluffy hair, hunched shoulders; same words. “I’m not ready yet.”

“Keith, what are you afraid off?” He’d said this back then too. “It’s up to you how you break it to her.”

“I know but….” he took in a deep breath. “I don't want to hurt her….”

Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes we have no choice. Better she finds out this way, so that she can hear it from you.”

Keith nodded slowly. He still looked a little pale, and if Shiro had to guess, he probably felt sick to his stomach. He watched as Keith walked out of the kitchen, shyly offering to food to Pidge, who beamed and took it with a smile.

Shiro’s first mistake of the night was thinking everything was going to be fine.

  


* * *

  


It was late; not too late for Pidge and himself, but definitely too late for their brothers.

At almost two am Matt and Shiro decided they would finish watching Airplane and would call it a night. They'd been offered the pullout couch so that they wouldn't have to drive, but they'd declined.

Keith was certain it was because they didn't want to deal with Pidge, who always got insufferable and unpredictable when drunk. Keith, needless to say, was NOT looking forward to being alone with her.

The secret he was still keeping from her definitely did NOT contribute to this.

He turned his attention away from the movie to look at her. She was still sitting on Matt, who was now wearing one of Keith’s shirt thanks to Pidge’s earlier incident. Currently, they and Shiro watched as she failed miserably to solve one of her rubix cubes.

“I don't…” Pidge paused, the alcohol having left her in a state of constant stupid. “Why not just….Fuck I don't know….” she turned to Matt who was doing his best to not laugh at her. “Like….we can just….marker….yeah! Or like paint…..I-I-I don’t fucking know.”

“We cannot paint a rubix cube, Katie; that’s cheating.” Shiro said, who was also trying to stifle his giggling.

“Well, then we could….!” she rose before plopping back down on Matt’s lap. “Oh, wait, no; that’s cheating too….”

Matt snorted, shaking from trying to not burst out laughing.

Keith smiled.

This was nice. It’d been awhile since Matt hung out at their place. He liked seeing them together. Over the years they’d grown more different physically, though one could still easily mistake them for twins, but their mentality was the same as it always has.

Well, not currently.

“FUCK!” Pidge jumped off Matt’s lap. “MY BUTT IS BUZZING!”

Matt started to cry, practically howling in hilarity, as he doubled over the couch. Shiro awkwardly pulled the phone out of her back pocket and handed it to her, his airy giggles filling the room.

“Oh, right; I knew that….” she laughed and swayed a bit and Keith was ready to catch her if, or more accurately WHEN, she fell. “Hello….?” she waited for a bit. “Oh, hi Lance!”

Keith tensed.

“No….No….No….Maybe….” Pidge proceeded to whine into the phone before tripping on the rug and falling on Keith, who caught her and sat her beside him with ease. “No I didn’t…..I tripped.” Keith gave a small smile to that. “Keith caught me.” she blinked for a few seconds, confusion on her face before nodding. “Okay, here.” she shoved the phone into his face.

“KATIE!” He took the phone with a grunt, giving a side look to Shiro who nodded. “Hello?” he hoped that didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

“Hey, it’s me! Sorry I called via Pidge; I don’t have your number.”

“I-It’s fine.” he could feel Pidge’s gaze burning a hole in his neck. “What’s up?”

“I wanted an update on Katie; she was okay when we left, but I assumed she got worse.”

“Yes and no? She’s kinda out of it right now.”

“AM NOT!” she tried to grab the phone but he pulled it back.

“I'm glad she’s in good hands!”

“Yeah….”

There was a pause. “Hey?”

“Yeah…?”

“Are….Are we good?”

“I….” he panicked. “I-what? Yeah, no, duh! We’re good-we’re fine!”

“What’s fine? Keith, I wanna know!” she reached for the phone this time successfully grabbing it and fighting Keith for it.

He wasn’t sure which one of them pressed the speaker button.

All of a sudden Lance could be heard throughout the room. “-worried! I didn’t say anything and since she didn’t say anything, I assume you didn’t say anything either! And since I really like her, I was wondering if we could maybe keep it that way….?”

“Lance, WAIT!” Pidge screamed into the phone. “I want to know!”

“KATIE!? Wait; AM I ON SPEAKER PHONE!?”

“LANCE HANG UP!” Keith screamed.  

“Wait! Keith, I-!” Lance sounded desperate; Keith wasn't sure if he was or it was the phone playing tricks on him.

“HANG. UP!” Shortly after a beep signaled the call had ended.

Keith took a deep breath as he released the phone.

“Keith….?” she sounded slightly more sober. “What’s going on….?”

All the laughter from before died. He stared straight ahead, not wanting to make eye contact.

“Keith.” her tone was more stern; no one would believe this was the same girl who wanted to sharpie a rubix cube less than five minutes ago. “Spill.”

“Katie, maybe-”

“Shut up, Matt; Keith, what doesn't he want me to know!?” she sounded panicked, her voice pitching.

Keith didn’t look at her; he COULDN’T look at her.

Her.

He couldn’t bring himself to say her name.

Her; the one he met when she fell from a tree onto the sidewalk when they were children. Her; who would always walk three extra blocks down and back to take him to his house because he was getting picked on in middle school. Her; who dressed up as a boy for their senior homecoming when the boy he was supposed to go with stood him up. Her; who had been his best friends since as long as he could remember.

Her; who was his roommate, his partner, his soulmate for fucks sake!

He buried his face in his hands, trying not to cry.

He's not ready to have this conversation. Not now; not ever.

“KEITH!” she was shaking as she forced him to look at her. “What did he do?! TELL ME!”

He could’ve laughed then. As if that love struck fool could do anything to hurt anyone, let alone her. “He didn’t do anything.”

She shook her head, the blush from the liquor persistent on her otherwise sickly looking face. “No. no, no, no; don't lie to me Keith….”

“I’m not, I promise.”

She bit her lip, tears rising to her eyes. “Then tell me…!” her voice was frail.

“Katie,” Matt gently place his hands on her shoulders. “You’re drunk, babe; you can’t think properly….” he slowly pried her hands from Keith’s face. “You both can talk tomorrow, okay?”

But she pulled away. “No! Lance-! Lance, he’s-!” she gasped for breath and the tears started to fall. She clutched her stomach as she curled into a ball.

Matt was trying very hard to calm her down. It was a valiant attempt, but given her intoxicated state there was no getting through to her. The room was suffocated with sobs and soft, soothing whispers.

“Keith,” Shiro kneeled besides him, talking so that only Keith could hear. “You need to tell her.”

He shook his head, feeling a knot forming in his gut and throat. “I can't! She’ll…!” he swallowed. Was his mouth this dry before? “She’ll hate me!”

Shiro squeezed his shoulder.

He couldn’t.

“Katie?” her name felt dirtied; forbidden.

She looked up.

His heart sank. He’d never seen anything so heartbreaking in his life; and his life tended to be pretty shit, so that was saying something.

“Keith….” she sobbed, lowering her head again. “Does he have someone else? Oh, fuck, I-” a sob cut her off and Keith fought every urge to hold her until the world disappeared.

“Look at me, please…” he wanted to cry now. He took a deep breath; he had no right to cry. He took hold of two small, shaking, hands. His voice trembled. “I….” Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “I’m….I like Lance….”

She blinked. “I-I do too….”

He gripped her hands, terrified that if he didn't hold on tight enough she’d slip away.

“N-No; Katie….I….I love Lance….Like, love love….” Shiro’s grip tightened on his shoulders. He could feel himself starting to shake. “And I….kissed him yesterday….”

The room was still.

“Technically it was two days ago….” Matt let out. His face was a mixture of surprise, anger, and hopelessness. Matt was powerless in this situation.

When she finally processed what he’d said, she pulled her hands away; his very touched burned her skin. "You....what....? When…!?” her voice trembled so much he was afraid it would break.

“Katie-” Keith tried to reach for her.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” She backed away, slamming into Matt’s arms. “How could you….?” barely a whisper.

“Listen to me!"

“Fine! Talk!”

Keith looked taken aback, like he hadn't really expected for her to hear him out. “I couldn’t help myself! When we were at the market thing, he saw I was feeling down. He was putting so much effort into cheering me up, that I got….” he trailed off, looking for the right word. “Overwhelmed….I was front and center of his attention.” he smiled to himself. She hated that smile so much. “I didn’t mean to kiss him! I got mad cause he was talking about you while I was in his arms and-!”

“Wait," she gulped, afraid to ask. "Were you two were dancing….?”

“Yeah….” Keith’s voice was hushed. She felt another tear trail her cheek. Her head flooded with Lance’s scent, his warm hands on her hips, his stomach in that stupid palm tree crop top. A fresh wave of irritation washed over her.

“I’m so sorry; it just felt RIGHT to kiss him.”

She stiffened. “That’s not an excuse! Find someone else; he’s my boyfriend, Keith! You have no right to move in on him!”

He seemed taken aback by the retort. “Pidge, I know-!”

“No, you don't! If you knew then you wouldn’t have touched him! He's not yours, Keith!”

Keith blinked several times before his face settled on an annoyed frown. “He's not property! And if that were the case, then it’s not like he’s yours either! He's not your boyfriend!”

Keith wanted to stab himself.

With a very dull blade.

Preferably repeatedly.

He was about to take it back when she spoke again.

Her voice was ice-like. “For your information, Keith Kogane,” she spat his name. “He asked me to be his girlfriend tonight; right before we danced to the song his parents got married to.” Even if that wasn’t meant to set him off, it did. “And, for the record;” she dramatized her words. “I kissed him first!”

Keith’s frown formed itself into a scowl. “I told you it was an accident!” he felt the pit of his stomach bubble with….malice? He wasn’t sure, but two could play this fucking game. “But it’s one I don’t regret!”

“So much for the earlier apology; typical Keith!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Keith, she's drunk! Just-.” Shiro tried to pull him away, but Keith brushed off his hand.

“No! What do you mean ‘typical Keith’?”

“Exactly what that means, dipshit! You do shit, and don't care about anything that happens cause of it!”

“Yes, I do, and you fucking know that! For starters, I care about him and what we might’ve-!”

“OH! Everything’s always about you!” she rolled her eyes. “‘Bring me a gift from the aquarium!’ ‘Get me something from the museum!’” she mocked his voice. “‘Don't worry, while you’re out trying to make a name for yourself, I’ll be over here making out with your boyfriend!’”

“Oh, shut up, Katelyn!” Keith snarled. “Suck it up, it was just a kiss; it’s not like I fucked him!”

“Oh, cause that was definitely NOT on your list!”

“I would bend him over the table in front of you if I had the fucking chance!” he growled, shoving his face into her space. She backed up so fast she knocked herself and Matt back.

She felt fresh tears prick at her eyes. “Y-You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, I would! I’d make him regret he’s dating you and not me, because if there's one thing I’m better at than kissing, it’s fu-!”  he yelped.

He was going to say more. So much more.

But Shiro had pulled him so hard he landed on his ass with a loud thump. “KEITH, STOP IT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?”

He wasn't sure if it was the look on his brother’s face, his disappointed and pained tone, or the pain on his butt that finally cleared his head.

Panicked, he looked over at his….he didn't even know what to call her anymore.

She wore a face Keith had no words for. He couldn't even describe how heart wrenching it was. Saucer like eyes, filled with tears and nothing but hurt. Complete and utter hurt.

“Katie-”

“Fuck. you.” she stood up, visibly shaking. “How could you say that….?”

“Katie, wait!” he grabbed her wrist. “I didn’t-! I was just mad!” he struggled to keep his grip on her. “Pidge! I didn't mean it!”

She broke free.

Tripping over Matt, who looked ready to throw up, she darted out of the room. A door slammed shut somewhere in the apartment.

The seconds of silence before anyone spoke were deafening.

“I’m going to take her with me....at least for a few days.” Matt spoke, his voice was shaking, trying so hard to keep steady. He stood up and turned away. There was a deep inhale as he ran his fingers through his hair, and a long and tired exhale as he ruffled what he’d just flattened. “Listen, Keith; I’ve known you for years. I know you as well as I know myself, and I’ve grown to love you like a brother; You’re a good guy.” Keith wasn’t ready to look into Matt’s eyes; the same eyes Katie had. “But for now….stay away from my sister. Give her some space to clear her head. Maybe….” He gave Keith a small, uncertain smile. Keith didn’t like it at all. “Maybe time will fix this.” he walked out.

And the silence continued.

It was broken briefly when both Holt children walked past the tv room on their was to the door.

Matt called out a goodbye to Shiro. Pidge did not.

Shiro wished both of them a goodnight, a tight smile on his face. The door closed.

The smile dropped, turning to Keith with a face he hadn't seen since the time he got suspended for a week. (Long story short, the boy that lifted Pidge's skirt needed dental work afterwards.)

"Keith." Shiro paused for a second, before an incredulous expression appeared on his face. "I-I-I don't even know what to say to you right now!" he flailed his arms; a somewhat angry, somewhat nervous blush on his cheeks. "Are you fucking stupid!? Keith, what tha fuck was that!? What happened to the apology part of the apology!?"

Keith could feel himself flushing with embarrassment, the pit in his stomach growing in size. "I DON'T KNOW!" he was sweating now. "I-I meant to apologize! I was gonna, but she was talking about Lance like he was a thing; like he was HER thing, and I got really mad because it's not fair!"

"Keith."

"Like I get that she likes him, I like him too, hell, I fucking love the guy! And, like, yeah, okay so does she, and her anger is valid, but like fuck, Shiro, what did I do?"

"Keith!"

"Shit, shit, SHIT! what am I gonna do!?" He stood up and started pacing. "I-I-I can run away! Yeah, I'll get my stuff, run away, and they can fix their relationship! yeah! Perfect! It'll be like I was never here and they can both forget about me! That's right, the kiss never happened! It meant nothing! Right?!"

"KEITH!" Shiro slapped a hand over his mouth, bringing him back to the floor. He exhale as he released his brother. He smiled; for real this time. "You don't want that, Keith; you don't want either of them to forget you."

He shook his head slowly, the energy draining from him.

"And you don't think the kiss meant nothing, do you?" Keith didn't respond. "It meant something to you, Keith. Maybe it shouldn't have because he IS Katie's boyfriend;" Keith shrunk under his gaze. Shiro chuckled. "But it did, and that's valid."

"But, Pidge-!" he gulped. "I was an ass...."

"Yeah, you should really apologize to her."

Keith punched him not so lightly at the amusement in his voice. "It's not funny Shiro! yeah, I feel bad for what I said, but I meant it! I really really like Lance!"

Shiro raised a brow at him. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?"

"While I don't condone your actions tonight, and I fully believe you need to make it up to Katie;" He got up with a grunt. "I do understand he's important to you." he poked his forehead. "So, what are your gonna do about it?"

"Shiro...!" Keith threw his arms around his brother. "Thanks." Keith grabbed his keys and his jacket and headed for the door. He shot him a smiled; a child like toothy grin. "I owe you one."

"Yeah, yeah, get out of here." Shiro closed the door after he bolted for the stairs.

He turned back to the tv room. With all that happened he missed a lot of what was going on on screen. He grabbed himself a soda from the fridge and sat down, taking his time backtracking to find the exact spot before Lance called.

He didn't know if he'd made the right choice or given the right pep-talk. He had a sinking feeling he hadn't.

Only time would tell.

The silence continued until he pressed play with thirty six minutes to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, first off (dont get me wrong this is my least favorite chapter so far) this is not a bad chapter. far from it, it's a necessary one.   
> Keith finally vocalizes that he's there too and that Lance matters to him. Katie cant ignore that now.   
> and i can start prepping for the big OH SHIT LETS JUST BOTH DATE HIM moment but there's still a lot of healing to do.   
> hell this might become a more than ten chapter fic it depends.
> 
> second off, im sorry ill start working on the next chapter rn so this three day lateness doesnt happen again.


	8. "What a huge mess you little homos have created for yourselves.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is having a lotta issues rn, okay?  
> Lance likes pink scrubs and baggy sweaters.  
> Precious Holt Siblings™ (aka Matt and Katie are me and my sister irl)  
> Pidgance lives to see another chapter.
> 
> Nurses and Baristas are chismosas pass it on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear all who read the story prior to this chapter being up;  
> I was gonna post this last Friday, but it's been a busy pair of weeks and I finished the chapter last thursday. This weekend has been especially hectic.I wont bore all of you with my tale of 17 sleepless days, but, as finals are nearing, I cannot promise an update this thursday as I have nothing written (or post worthy anything really). Thus, because this is pitifully late, here you have 23 pages worth of a Google doc, aka the longest chapter so far by far.
> 
> I hope it's to y'alls liking,  
> Baker.
> 
> Ps.- There's a lot of time jumps which I took the time to plot here (fun fact: they were plotted friday when I was gonna post this chapter but I closed the tab on accident and deleted all the editing i'd done as well as the time chart and i was so mad i decided not to post cause that would mean plotting and editing everything again [23 pages is a lot to code okay!?])
> 
> Katie leaves the apparment at 2:23  
> Keith leaves the apparment at 2:27  
> Keith arrives at the ER at 2:47  
> Keith leaves the ER at 3: 19  
> Katie arrives at Matt's apparment at 3: 21  
> Katie goes into Matt's room at 3:29  
> When Katie says 'its basically four AM' its 4:13  
> Lance arrives at the cafe at 4:00  
> Katie leaves Matt's apparment at 4:20  
> Lance and Keith leave cafe at 4:36  
> Lance arrives at his apparment and trips over Katie at 4:57

If you asked Keith Kogane how he ended up at the doors of the ER at two forty seven in the morning on a Sunday he wouldn’t be able to tell you.

All he remembers is stumbling down the steps of his building to where his bike was parked, and driving through a surprisingly warm night until he was at the steps of the ER.

Keith isn't sure why he’s surprised that it's still open at this unsacred hour; it's an emergency room after all. Even at this time, the light from inside is enough to make him squint his eyes. He also isn't surprised this is the first place he’d look for him; he worked here after all.

There's a nurse at the front desk. Her hair is braided, with her bangs covering her face like a visor. Other than her, the place seemed to be relatively empty. Perhaps it was a slow night? Or maybe all the patients were in the room he'd been in when he’d crashed his bike a few weeks back.

Almost three months.

Had it really been that long ago?

All the road burns had healed, leaving minor scarring, but to think that happened almost three months ago.

He shook his head.

He knew he was just trying to buy time before he went in.

What was he supposed to say?

‘Hey, can I borrow one of your nurses? I have a crush on him I need to talk about!’

He didn't think that would work.

There was also the huge possibility he wasn't here. After all, it wasn't like the guy lived in the ER. He was a nurse, not some sort of hospital dewler that lived under the stairs because he had no house and family issues. Keith really shouldn’t apply what he’d seen in Riverdale in this situation.

The hiss of the sliding door snapped him to attention. The nurse from the desk was standing at the door. Her hair was way longer than it had appeared. She wasn’t much shorter than Keith, maybe five eight or so.

She wore a somewhat cautious, somewhat bemused look. “Can I help you, sir? Or are you going to stand outside looking like the grim reaper?”  

“I do not look like the grim reaper!” Keith pouted.

She eyed him up and down, shifting her weight onto one hip as she crossed her arms. “Yeah, I’m sure the children love the ripped-jeans-leather-shirt, all black look.” She smirked.

“Well, good thing I don’t dress for the children.” He couldn't help but mirror it. “Nice scrubs by the way.”

She laughed. She had a nice laugh. “What brings death himself to the ER at this time?” she dropped her grin. “Oh, fuck, did we kill someone?”

He snorts. “No, I’m here looking for a nurse, which I know sounds a little unprofessional-”

She shrugs.

“-but I seriously need to talk to him.”

“Well, maybe come in next time.” she held the door open for him. “I looked up and you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Good thing this is a hospital.”

She rolled her eyes, going back behind the desk. “Who are you looking for? I can check if they’re here, but I can’t guarantee you time to talk to them. We aren’t super busy, but we’re short of staff tonight and you never know.”

Keith nodded, knowing this would happen. “Is, uh, Lance working tonight?”

She looked up at him, her expression filling with smugness. “Wait….‘Pukey’!?”

Keith almost cried. He dropped his face into the desk as he released a loud and exasperated sigh. Then, with defeat, he added. “Yeah that’s me.” he looked up, glaring at her grinning face. “Jeez, is that what all the nurses call me?”

“To be fair, that hadn’t happened in a while, and hasn't happened since. I mean, they puke, but they always try to aim AWAY from the nurses.”

“Now, now, Vale, is that anyway to talk to the one and only Pukey?” They both turned to Lance, who was leaning against the wall, removing a pair of gloves. Keith thought it should be illegal to look that good in pink scrubs at almost three in the morning.

“Güey, déjame divertirme un poco, no? Llevo aquí como tres pinches horas!” she spoke.

Great, another spanish speaker. Keith really regretted not paying attention in that class.

“Acere, me vale! Yo estaba en medio de una cita con mi chica y me tuve que ir como a las diez treinta para bañarme y arreglarme! Además, ambos tenemos aquí tres horas; mantén tu latón con tapa!”

“Ay, chupame, McClain!” she rolled her eyes at whatever he had said, she turned to Keith once more.  “Llévate a tu novio que-CABRON ESTAS SANGRANDO!” she gripped Keith’s hand and tore off his glove.

He blinked.

When did he get a cut in his palm?

He looked down at himself. Wearing all black, he couldn't tell if there was blood on him or not, but looking at the counter he could see his handprint in red liquid sticking out against the blue plastic.

“Keith, what the fuck man?!” Lance grabbed his hand, trying to gently wipe away some semi-dried blood to see the cut better. Keith winced. “Sorry, sorry, just-ugh, come on!” he turned to Vale once more, “Dile a Álvarez que me lo llevo a la oficina para no tomar espacio, que me tardo quince minutos máximo.” she nodded, trying to hold back a grin

As they walked away she called after them. “MAMALE EL CHILE, JOTO!”

Lance flushed and stopped to call back. “CALLATE, TUERCA!”

She laughed and it bounced through the walls as Lance pulled him to a small office. He assumed this is where they did all the filing and organized the paper work. It wasn't much, but it was definitely more private and inviting than the hospital rooms.

Lance let go of him and grabbed the first aid kit from the one of the drawers of the desk. Keith snickkered. “What's so funny, Pukey?”

He rolled his eyes, still a little giggly. “Even in an ER, you have a basic, buy-them-at-Walgreens, first aid kit.

Lance chuckled too. “What can I say? We like to be prepared.” Lance took a seat on the office chair and patted the desk. “Sit.” Keith obliged, feeling the nerves start to creep up on him. He had no plan; just a cut on his hand. “How did you not notice this?” Lance asked as he fumbled to open the kit. “It’s been bleeding a lot, and from the amount blood, I can tell it’s not a small cut, or at least not a shallow one.”

Keith laughed nervously. “You’re gonna think this is stupid, but I honestly don't know.”

Lance scoffed, as he started to clean the cut. “You are worse than Katie.”

Keith stiffened, but if Lance noticed, he probably thought it was due to the sting of the hydrogen peroxide on the cut.

Right.

Katie.

Keith knew he stepped over several lines. He knew he’d been an asshole. He kept trying to find excuses for himself, but he had none. He hadn’t been drunk, he wasn’t the one being betrayed, he wasn't even right in his anger because everything she had said was essentially true.

But as he looked at the man patching up his hand he couldn't help but mean everything he said. He was jealous. He was crazy mad with jealousy. And he knew that wasn't an excuse but it was his truth. She had him. But he wanted him.

God, he wanted him so bad. He wanted to kiss him again. Hold his hand, dance with him, tell him that he thought it was cute that he liked to wear pink scrubs.

He tooks a sharp breath then Lance began to wrap his hand. Keith was sure it was just him, but he could've sworn Lance’s fingers lingered on his hand a little longer than needed. He gave Keith a soft smile. “There we go.”

“Thanks.”

“Keith?”

“Yeah?”

Only now did he realize how close they sat. Lance sat between his legs and looked up at him. It was a nice change from Keith always looking up at him. He looked tired and a little sweaty. Keith did his best to avoid his gaze.

“About the kiss….and what you said that day?”

“....Yeah?” his voice was small.

He smiled sheepishly. “Do you really like me?”

He flushed. “What!? I-no! Lance, you can’t ask that so suddenly.” he grumbled.

“So that’s a yes?” his voice was soft; it was kind.

“.....Yeah….” he felt the knot in his throat tighten.

He chuckled. “I’m flattered, considering you puked the first time you saw me.”

Keith managed a laugh at that, though it sounded strained. “So….you don't hate me?”

Lance laughed. It bubbled from his stomach and it was so warm and delightful Keith couldn't help but stare. Lance wiped at his eyes, trying to catch his breath. “Keith, why would I hate you? Sure you puked on my shoes, but I got new ones didn't I?” he giggled still.

Keith pursed his lips. “No, I mean….cause you’re dating someone else already, who’s a girl….and I kissed you, and I’m a guy….so….”

“Keith? Are you asking me if I’m homophobic?”

“Yeah….I never told you I was gay and I suddenly dropped a bomb on you the other day. I’m sorry.”

Instead of contorting in response, Lance’s eyes lit up. “God, Pukey, you’re so stupid.” Lance grinned. “I'm a little gay too.”

Keith choked on his own spit. “WHAT!?”

“Yeah, I’m bisexual.” he winked at him. “So, don't worry about it, okay?”

Keith could feel butterflies in his stomach. He leaned forward, feeling the blush on his cheeks. “So does this mean you-”

“Woah, Keith hold on!” Lance placed his hands on his shoulders. He smiled. It was a small smile. He’d seen that smile on Matt’s face earlier. He’d already established he hated it. “I’m still dating Katie.”

He froze. His body suddenly felt numb. His mouth was dry and the weight of Lance’s words left him breathless. He knew this. He knew he liked her and he didn’t know why he’d let himself believe coming here would change that.

“Right, right. Wow, I’m-I’m sorry I should go.” he hopped off the desk, skillfully avoiding Lance. “I don’t even know why I came here, this was stupid of me, I’m sorry.”

“Keith, wait!” Lance reached for his wrist but Keith avoided it.

“No, Lance, it’s fine, I should leave.”

“No;” Lance managed to grab his wrist. “You should go to the twenty-four-hour coffee shop down the street and wait for five am to roll around so I can get off my shift.” he shrugged, his smiled growing with ease. Keith could see his teeth. “Well that’s assuming Carly gets here at five am; it might be a little longer than that, but if you’re willing to wait….I’d like to talk for a little bit.”

“Okay.” Keith swallowed, nodding slowly. “I’ll see you then.”

Lance smiled as he opened the door for him. “Hasta la later, Keith.”

He made his way outside, waving a small goodbye to Vale, who was still at the front desk. As he stepped into the warm air he looked at the sky, releasing a long and tired sigh.

  


* * *

  


“Matt?” 

Matt slowly opened his eyes.

He hadn't been asleep, but he’d been trying really hard to do so.

They’d arrived at his apartment over half an hour ago; there hadn’t been much traffic, since there's not much traffic at such a late, or early in this case, hour. Without a word, Katie had sped towards the spare room and shut the door.

He understood.

She needed space.

So he went to his room, changed, and went to bed. He’d assumed she’d done the same thing.

Yet here she was.

“Yeah?”

“I-uh, I know I haven’t done this since I was seven, but, um….” he could hear her fidgeting from the doorway.

He chuckled, lazily closing his eyes and tossing his arm over them. He patted the spot next to him on the bed.

He felt the mattress shift when she crawled on and towards him. He extended out his arm arm and she laid her head on it. He brought his other arm around her as she placed hers on his waist. “Thanks.”

“Old habits die hard I suppose; and for the record last time we did this was at most nine months ago.”

“I hate you.”

“I know. How’s the head?”

“I don't feel drunk anymore, if that’s what you mean; I just chugged down three glasses of water.”

“Someone lives on the edge.”

She snickered, lightly pushing him. “Shut up.”

They stayed quiet for a bit. Matt liked to sleep with his window open. She knew it was a coping mechanism after he came back from Afghanistan; that the silence in the street was his way of knowing everything was fine. She supposed listening to the swaying trees was nice.

“So….how’s the heart?”

She sighted. “I’m okay now.”

“Really?”

A pause.

“No.”

“Thought so.”

“I just don't understand!” she buried her head into the crook of his neck.

To many people, sleeping like this with your sibling might’ve been weird. To them it was normal, it was familiar. She HAD stopped doing this when she was seven, but she’d picked this habit up again when he and Shiro had returned. It was horrifying to see Shiro with a prosthetic. For the longest time after his return, she’d hold Matt to sleep. Partly for him; partly for her.

Right now, it was mostly for her.

“If I’m being honest with you, I don’t either. I know Keith, this isn't like him.”

“And it’s all over a guy.” she gave a bitter laugh. “God, never once did I think a boy would come between us, especially not now.”

“I should've said something.”

“What could you have said?”

“I don't know, something like…..‘Yo, fam, maybe don't talk about fucking my sis’s eye candy, thanks’.” she snorted. “What? You don't think that would’ve won the argument?”

“I think that would’ve DEFINITELY won the argument.”

“Dammit.”

More silence. In the distance she could hear the blur of the cars zooming by. Where could they be heading at this time was beyond her, but that was part of the mystery of this time of day.

“Are you going to talk to him?”

“I….I don't want to….Matt, the shit he said, I don't think he was kidding.”

“So you really think he’d stick his dick in Lance’s ass infront of you?”

“Oh my god, I can’t with you!” she rollled her eyes, poking his stomach. She regretted it as he contorted and almost squashed her. She’d forgotten he was so ticklish there; how had she forgotten he was so ticklish there? “No-well maybe....but I mean the other stuff. Like, about how much he wanted Lance. I think he honestly resents me for liking him.”

“That's stupid. He didn’t see Lance first, you did; won him over fair and square.”

"Actually he saw him first."

"Irrelevant; you liked him first and he likes you back!"

“I know that, but I don't think he does. Keith hasn’t had the healthiest relationships. I think Lance is the first decent guy he’s liked in a while.”

“Oh yeah; Shiro complains about Laurence a lot.”

“I’m pretty sure his name is Lotor.”

He shrugged. “Laurence sounds more like an asshole name.”

“And with that you’ve offended all the Laurences in the world.”

“Just doing my job.”

She laughed. “But, yeah….I don't doubt he likes him. I kinda suspected it with the way he looked at him. Honestly, I’m more shocked on the fact that this didn't happen sooner.”

“So you’re telling me you were expecting your best friend since you were children to tell you he’s gonna fuck your boyfriend?”

“Well, when you put it like that no!” she smirked. “I meant, yeah I thought about him possibly liking him, but if he did-”

“And he does.”

“-Shut up, Matt-”

“Sorry.”

“-I thought he’d realize a lot sooner. And that he’d’ve told me differently, you know? No fighting, no yelling.”

“I thought you started the yelling?”

“I was drunk; fuck, I still probably am, which is why I’m so calm about this!” she sat up, pulling her knees close to her chest.

“Hey, it’s okay, babe.” Matt draped his arms around her as he sat up.

“No, it’s not! My best friend wants my boyfriend, Matt! The boyfriend I love and treasure! I’m not gonna be okay with this now or ever! He’s not entitled to be angry! He’s not entitled to kiss him or dance with him! He’s not….allowed to like him! He’s my friend, Matt, my friend! He should know better than to….than to fall in love with Lance.”

He rubbed circles into her back. “He can’t help the way he feels. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to tear out his pony tail; but he can't choose who he falls in love with.” he shoved her playfully. “You didn’t.”

She gave him a small smile. “I didn’t.”

“And look how well this is turning out for both of you!” Matt smiled too. “I’m glad you’re first proper boyfriend is not pushing you or anything; I don’t think I could take him in a fight.”

She giggled. “He’d patch you up though.” she rested her head on his shoulder. “I find it funny how he’s dating me, given that he’s bi and everything.”

“Can I say something and you won't gut me?”

“I might gut you anyway.”

“That’s true; I was gonna say how he gets to date both based on the way you dress.”

She didn't gut him.

She did however jab him in the stomach a bit too hard and he went down with a groan.

“Sorry, sorry!” she laughed as he pulled her down with him, hitting her with a pillow. When he finally stopped and she caught her breath she added. “A funnier joke would’ve been the fact that a guy who’s sexually attracted to dick and pussy is dating someone who’s not sexually attracted to anything.”

“Except Mothman.”

“No, that’s Keith.”

“Oh, yeah! What was yours?”

“The Canvey island monster, man, c’mon!”

“Oh, true true.”

Somewhere in the distance a car passed by, their stereo shamelessly blasting Rick Astley. It took them a few minutes to stop laughing after that.

“So what are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna talk to Keith?”

“No, I want him to come to me. I understand where he’s coming from I really do….but what he said to me…..about him…..FUCKING Lance!” she meant to laugh so not to worry him, but her voice trembled as nerves and anger bubbled in her stomach. “....I didn’t think he’d ever used my sexuality against me….that was a low blow considering he’s gay….”

Matt was quiet for a little while. “What a huge mess you little homos have created for yourselves.”

She snorted. “Tell me about it.”

“And are you gonna talk to Lance?”

She sat up to look at him. “What do you mean?” Her bangs fell to her face. She needed a haircut.

He shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t know….” he scrunched up his face, glaring at the light above his head, trying to figure out how to phrase what he was trying to say. “I just mean….you haven't talked to Lance about this-duh, you found out like an hour ago-and I really think you should.”

“Why should I? He didn’t say anything to me.”

“Don’t pout.”

“I don’t pout.” she pouted

“Katie!” he laughed. It was a breathy, deep laugh. He was getting sleepy finally. “You should talk to him. Let him know what happened; how you feel.” he closed him eyes, a smiled on his face. “How he feels about all of this.”

A breezed made its way into the room. She hadn’t realized she’d been sweating until now. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“That….if I ask about Keith…..he’ll tell me something I don’t want to hear.”

“I still say go talk to him. Every relationship faces hardships and this is yours; surpass it.”

She smiled down at her brother in defeat. He was right. He was always right, even when it was three thirty-ish in the morning and he was half asleep. “When did you get so smart?”

He chuckled, his speaking slurred a little as sleep started to take hold of him. “It’s not that I’m smart, I simply wasn’t dropped from a dresser in Paris when I was two years old.”

She rolled her eyes. “I hate you.”

He groaned, amusement evident in his scrunched up smile. “Go! Find Lance! Make babies! Let me sleep!”

“Where do you want me to go?” she laughed. “It’s basically four am!”

“He’s working right now right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, Katie, don't be fucking stupid; go to him!.” he gave her a lazy grin as he shoved her with his foot. “It’ll give you major romantic points!”

“Oh my god, I’m going MOM!” she giggled as she got up.

“I love you, sweetie!” she was halfway to her shoes when he called out. “And don’t worry, if he says anything I’ll cut off his dick so Keith can’t have him either.”

What did she do to deserve such a great brother?

 

 

* * *

  


 

Keith had been sitting at the coffee shop maybe half an hour.

Okay, so he’d been sitting here for thirty seven minutes and six seconds; he would know, he’d been counting.

It was at the forty one minute mark that Lance walked through the door.

Keith almost slapped himself.

He still didn't know what to do or what to say to him. It didn't help that Lance was wearing the biggest sweater he’d ever seen and looked adorable.

“Hey.” Lance smiled at him. He looked very tired. “You’re still here.”

“Yeah.” Keith cleared his throat; he didn't like the dreamy tone of his voice. “Why wouldn't I be?”

Lance shrugged, his sleepy grin never faltering. “I don't know….it’s pretty late; if someone told me to sit in a coffee shop alone until five am I might've cried and given up.”

Keith laughed. “Well, I’ve never really been the type to quit or give up.”

“Do tell.” he sat down, resting his arms and chin on the table.

Keith snorted. “What you want a story?”

“Yes please!”

He rolled his eyes. “Well....for example; when I was in the fourth grade, I found this cat in the back lot of my school. He was an asshole, but he was really pretty-”

“Dont’cha mean purr-ty?”

“Lance no.”

He snickered. “Keep going.”

“-anyways, my dad’s allergic, but, for some reason, I really wanted to keep him. My dad said if I could raise enough money to buy him food and necessaries he’d let him stay.”

“Sounds unreasonably reasonable for ten year old.”

Keith shrugged. “My dad’s a pretty unreasonable man; the school told him he couldn't park his pickup truck without some sort of cover on the trunk-cause they thought some kids might crawl in there or whatever-and he proceeded to show up to pick me up the next day with a sign that said free candy attached to the trunk. Needless to say I took the bus from then on.”

“You’re dad sounds like the shit.”

“Please do not encourage my dad, he likes to wear daisy dukes cause Shiro told our mom she wasn’t at the age to wear them anymore.”

“You’re dad’s a legend.”

“Lance no!”

“A BEAST!”

The coffee shop filled with their giggles. The barista couldn't decided if he should be amused or annoyed by this.

“Anyway,” Lance sniffled as he composed himself. “What happened with the cat?”

“Oh, yeah!” Keith started to giggled again. “Cause my dad’s Texan-

“Howdy, partner.”

“-I fucking hate you.” he giggled before continuing. “We have a house there, and I would sell lemonade in the summer, so I was like ‘Surely that can work here in fifty three degree weather in the winter’.”

“Did it?”

“Of course not, Starbucks put me out of commision.”

“Damn their holiday peppermint drinks.”

“Lance, stop!” Keith snickered, playfully shoving him. “I’m trying to retell the tale of Ian Catkaye-”

“Wait wait wait….” Lance sat up, his eyes lit with amusement. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Is that a pun on Ian Mackaye from Fugazi?”

Keith pursed his lips. “....Maybe….”

Lance cried. He laughed so hard he cried. “Oh-Oh my god! Keith! I can’t with you buddy; what’s next? Got a dog called Brendon Mewrie?” Lance wiped away his tears as he clutched his stomach.

“N-NO! Shut up, Lance!” he blushed. Keith wasn’t sure he wanted to tell him about the cat he had when he was twenty five (Catrick Stump was a great fucking name). “A-A-Anyways, where was I?”

Lance giggled. “Starbucks was crushing lil’ Ian Catkaye's chance at a family.” he threw his head back as he started to laugh again.

The barista was definitely more amused than annoyed.

Keith rolled his eyes. “So yeah, my lemonade stand was a fucking bust, and I was ready to give up when Pidge-” Keith stopped.

That’s right. 

Pidge.

How did he keep forgetting everything that had happened barely an hour ago?

“What did Pidge do?” Lance’s voice brought him back. He was resting on the table again, his gaze tired as he looked up at Keith. There was a glow to him now; light blush, lazy smile, eyes twinkling with wonder.

His stomach sank. “Right, um, she had this stupid idea of stealing coins from a mall fountain.”

Lance laughed. “That sounds just like her; she always checks for change in every vending machine.”

Keith managed a weak smile. “She did that too.” Lance’s smiled widened. “In the end we got enough for a few cans, the bowls, and a cheap bed. Her dad was very gracious and bought us  a scratching post and some toys. My dad couldn't say no, so Shiro’s mom took us to buy a collar and a cat.”

“Aww, what a happy ending for the horribly named cat.” Lance giggled. “How long have you and Pidge known each other?”

“For as long as I can remember.” his palms felt sweaty. “Actually, Lance can we talk about Katie….?”

“Oh my god can we?” he didn't catch Keith's cautious tone. “I can’t with her sometimes. She said she couldn't handle her alcohol, but she sees me get a third beer and suddenly decides she can chug a whole pint. Is she always like that?”

“Sort of.”

“And she’s so stubborn, which makes her adorable cause she won't accept help. When we went to the aquarium she was trying to grab a mug I said I liked, right? She started to climb on the the display to be able to reach, and, of course, she slips and breaks all-”

“All the mugs, yeah, I know.” Keith forced another smile. “You guys told me that story when you gave me my pen and part of a handle.”

“Oh, sorry.” he scratched the back of his neck. He leaned back in his chair, slouching so that his sweater practically ate him alive. He gave him a sweet smile, his eyebrows pushed together slightly with amusement and concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you just confessed to your crush and he’s sitting in front of you talking about his girlfriend who’s, coincidentally, your best friend; you tell me.” his smile was more smug now.

Keith couldn't help but relax a little. “Oh, yeah….it kinda sucks.”

“Did you tell her?”

Keith bit his lips. He thumbed the cut on his hand, trying to distract from the endless pit in his stomach. “Kinda….”

“What do you mean ‘kinda’?” Lance sat up, eyeing him carefully. “Keith, what did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did it?”

“Because if not then you wouldn’t be here.”

Keith opened his mouth to say something. Nothing came out.

He was right.

“Keith,” Lance grasped his hand. Keith wished he didn't crave his touch as much as he did. “What happened?”

“We had a fight.” he tried to keep his breathing steady. “You called and she heard. I don't know if the alcohol contributed to her reactions, but shortly after you hung up she was crying.” Keith laughed. He was about to cry himself. “We were fighting. ‘How dare I kiss you’ and what not. I told her how I felt, and even though my feelings aren’t valid, and she made me feel even worse; like I wasn’t allowed to feel this way. So I-….I said somethings I shouldn’t have. What was supposed to be a simple ‘I’m sorry’ was spiraled out of control….she left with her brother and I came here.”

He thought Lance would pull away.

Instead Keith felt him throw himself over the table and wrap his arms around him. “God, you’re so stupid.” he pulled away so that their eyes met. “Your feelings ARE valid, Keith Kogane. They are not wrong. They are beautiful, and sweet, and soft. And you should never let anyone make you feel like they aren't, okay?” Keith nodded, holding back a sob. “As for coming here; that was very dumb.” he laughed as he sat back down. “It should be her you went after not me.”

“I wanted to give her space.”

“I guess that’s fair.” he smiled. “Promise yourself you’ll go to her. People like Katie are hard  to come by.”

Keith huffed. “Right; perfect girlfriends and all that.”

“No, you jerk-off; caring and honest people. All she ever does is talk about you. About your dumb obsessions with cryptids, your god awful taste in movies,” he smirked. “How you had a buzzcut and piercings in college.”

“Oh my god!” he buried his face in his hands. “I thought I looked cool but I looked like a fuckboy.”

“I know; she has the pictures still.”

“OH MY GOD.”

They laughed.

Lance got up and offered him a hand. “Go home. Sleep. Call her.” Keith took his hand hesitantly. “Friends like that are hard to come by.”

There were so many things Keith still wanted to say. But all of them died in his throat and came out as “I will.”

“No more cuts; be careful okay?”

“I might pull a Pidge to come see you.” Lance laughed. Keith loved the way his eyes practically disappeared when he smiled so wide.

“Please don't do it tonight, I do not want to come back yet.” he walked to the door as waved goodbye as he opened it. “Night, Pukey; don't miss me too much.” he winked and slipped out.

Keith shrunk feeling the heat in his cheeks. “I always do.”

A loud slurp from behind him startled him back to attention. The barista was shamelessly staring with his feet on the counter and a frappuccino in his hand. “Wow. You have it bad.”

Keith made a mental note to never come back here again.

 

 

* * *

  
  


Lance didn't expect for his hands to shake as he watched Carly walk in only twenty five minutes after Keith left. He didn't expect to have sweaty palms and butterflies in his stomach during most of his talk with Keith; he really hope he didn't notice. 

Right now he sat in his car, feeling like a creep after waiting for Keith to walk out of the coffee shop and head off in his bike.

He took a deep breath.

Lance McClain was a lot of things, many of which were synonyms for stupid, but he’d learned long ago that he was not straight.

He was bi.

Keith and Katie made that fact evidently more clear with each passing day.

He adored every fiber of her body, and he hadn’t even seen it. That’s how strong his love for Katie was. With her it was more than what he brought to the bed, it was what he brought to the table. His feelings, his sense of humor, his vast medical expertises because Jesus Christ this child was lucky to be alive with how reckless she was.

Lance could list something he liked about her with every star in the sky.

And there’s a lot more stars he couldn't see from earth.

Another thing Lance was not was a liar.

He couldn't lie to himself.

Not anymore anyway.

He could no longer pretend Keith Kogane didn’t do something for him.

He just didn't know what yet.

He was tempted to slam his head onto the steering wheel, but seeing as that was incredibly counterproductive he opted against it. He turned the keys and pulled away from the coffee shop. He needed to sleep.

Lance didn’t live anywhere too fancy, but he would never dare to call his apartment shabby. It was plenty big to house him and his brothers, though Lance liked it better when they were away for business like they currently were.

Not that he’d ever admit to prancing around the apartment in his towel while Daddy Yankee blasts throughout the place; but if he ever did, his brothers had no proof.

He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and made his way into the building, saying a quick hello to the poor doorman. If he thought Lance didn’t know that was probably his sixth cup of coffee that night he was mistaken.

“Long night?” the doorman asked him, his voice slurred and his breath smelled of espresso.

“I’ve seen longer ones.”

He nodded, returning to whatever he was doing on his computer.

Lance was lucky he lived on the second floor. In a hurry, he could take the stairs and not break a sweat, but if he was feeling particularly tired, the elevator rides were always short. He got in and buzzed for his floor. He couldn't decide if he should go through his whole routine or simply wash his face. On the one hand he was tired; on the other hand he hadn't gotten this good looking without sacrificing some hours of the day. 

The doors opened and Lance moved on automatic, not bothering to tear his gaze from the ceiling.

He’d counted seven roof tiles before he tripped, landing on his jaw with a yelp.

“Watch it, fuck brain!”

Wait.

He turned his head so he could see the bundle on the floor pushing his legs off theirs. “Katie?”

She went stiff, slowly turning to look at him; her face was a hilarious mix of mortification and embarrassment. “Uh….Hey, babe! Wassup!?” she laughed awkwardly as she patted his calf.

He sat up with a dramatic groan. “Not me that’s for sure.” she snorted and visibly relaxed. “What are you doing here?”

“What? Can’t a girl surprise her boyfriend at-” she checked the time on her phone. "-basically five in the morning?”

“Well she can but she’s never done it before.” he smiled as her confidence faltered. “Why don’t we go inside before Mrs. Moreno come out here and yells are us?”

“Good idea;” She stood as she signalled down at herself. “I don't think she’d appreciate my pajamas.”

He tossed her the keys so she could open the door.

He looked her over. Sweatpants, knock off uggs, clips in her hair, glasses hung from the neck of her “Tech and Lighting Crew” crop top; how had he gotten so lucky?

She pushed his door open and let him walk in first before closing, dropping his keys on the counter. “Are you tired? Is this a bad time?”

“If I say yes will you leave?” he grinned at her teasingly.

She pulled his face down gently, pressing a warm kissed to his eyelids. “Baby, you can’t get rid of me that easily!”

“Oh, no! Whatever will I do?” he pulled her into his arms as she squealled, spinning her as he peppers her shoulder with kisses. He carried her to his room, dropping her on the bed as if he were a wrestler. She was snorting by this point, tears streaming down her eyes.

“I-I give up!” she said in between laughs. “Just-just let me catch my breath!”

“Never!” he proceeded to tickle her.

It took several hits to the head with a pillow for Lance to finally roll off her, a shit eating grin on his face. “For the record;” she wiped a tear from her cheek, still very giggly. “You only won cause you’re wearing jeans.”

“That can be easily fixed.” he got up and turned to the closet. In the moonlight coming from the window his skin seemed to glow. She wasn't complaining. He turned and caught her staring as he was hanging his sweater. “Do you mind?” he was teasing.

“Not one bit.” So was she.

If a year ago you'd asked Lance and Pidge what they’d be doing right now, Lance wouldn't have said 'performing a cringe worthy strip tease while obnoxiously singing the Star Wars theme'. And Pidge wouldn't have said 'cat-calling him in every way she could think off'.

Neither would change it for the world.

Once Lance was in joggers and loose tee, they both sat on his bed as Lance gently applied Egg Mellow Cream to Katie’s face. She hummed some broadway song he’d gotten stuck in her head. She couldn't tell you the name, but when she got to a certain part he’d hum along.

“So,” he said as he popped the cap back on the cream. Their faces were now soft, sticky, and glossy. “What brings my beautiful girlfriend to my apartment at this time? Surely it wasn't the tickle attack or the egg face masks.”

“It was most definitely the egg masks; who doesn't like feeling like the belong atop buttered toast?”

He smiled patiently. “Is this about Keith?”

She stiffened before huffing in defeat. “Yeah….how’d you know?”

“I know you.” he placed the cream on the bedside, giving her a sheepish grin over his shoulder. “Plus he came to see me at the ER earlier.”

“What!? What’d he say?!”

“Nothing to worry about; what happened?”

She fell onto the pillows, her legs still crossed. “I don’t even know; what should’ve been an easy conversation turned into a shit show. I’m honestly terrified our friendship is doomed.”

“Is it?”

“I don't know! I hate him right now; I want him to suffer and feel miserable….” she took in a deep breath. Lance took her hand. “But….at the same time I know he’s probably hurting a lot already too. Keith’s parents had a messy divorce, you know?”

He raised a brow, not following the conversation. “So, Shiro’s….?”

“His half brother, son of their mother. Keith’s parents had a really awful fall out and it took a lot to get Keith to stay with his dad on weekends. She wasn’t a great lady….”

“So what happened?”

“Keith’s mom became too unstable to care for him.”

“Yikes.”

“Tell me about it. He’s had such an awful look on love, especially being gay….I can’t help but feel guilty that I’m here right now.”

“Katie, no!” Lance layed down next to her. “You’re here right now because I want you to be here.”

“I know that, but he'd want to be here too….”

“What are you saying?”

“I don't want to break up!” she grabs both of his hands and brings them to her chest. “God, I never want to break up, so don't ever think that.” she pecked his knuckles. He can feel a silly grin spreading on his face. “I just don’t know how Keith and I can stay friends when he wants you; I’m not willingly to let you go.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Do….” she swallowed, he could feel it on his fingers. “Do you want me to?”

“What!? Of course not! Katie, where is this coming from?”

“Lance, why didn’t you tell me about the kiss?”

He didn't like how honest her tone was; it reminded him of when he did something that upset his mom. “I didn’t want you to be mad; I didn't want to give it importance.”

“Did it?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why are you insisting?” he turned away from her. “I like you; Keith sprung on me and confused me and that’s that.”

“So, you did like the kiss?” her tone wasn't angry or accusing, which for some reason made it harder for him to breath.

“I don’t know, I guess; it’s just a kiss, Pidge.”

“But it wasn’t.”

“It was! It was just two dudes pressing lips for, like, two seconds before the other sprinted away like Shadow the hedgehog.”

“Don’t you mean-”

“No, he’s Shadow, I’m Sonic, you’re Tails; keep up.”

“Right sorry.” she snickered.

“And anyways it doesn't matter cause the kiss meant nothing.”

“It meant something to Keith.”

“Okay, true; but-”

“And….” she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It meant something to you too, right?”

“No, it didn’t cause I don’t like him; I love you!”

She chuckled. Her tone was sweet and patient; like she was talking to a child. “Lance, it's okay! I see the way you look at him when you talk before you and I go out; I’m not totally blind." he snorted. "The room lights up when you’re together.”

“But the room is not bright enough if you’re not in it!” he didn’t mean to snap at herl; he didn't mean to pull away.

She gave a soft laugh; tired, and more breath than sound. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, making him feel like a human tree. “Good thing I’m not going anywhere then.” He was a happy tree at least.

He pulled the covers over both of them.

This was enough tonight.

“I’m….I don't know what I’m feeling….” he rubbed circles into her knuckles, loving the shiver that ran down his spine as she breathed on his neck. “But I know that, right now, in this moment? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

“You little sap; go to bed.” she kissed the nape of his neck.

He listened to her breathing. She still smelled a little of beer and lime; there was a faint scent of his face mask and of him.

God, he loved it.

“Katie?”

“Lance?”

“I love you.”

She laughed against his neck. “Jeez, I love you too, you dork! So….don't forget that.”

It was his turn to laugh. He pulled her hands to his heart. “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish translation:  
> “Dude, let me have some fun! I've been here like three fucking hours!"
> 
> “Bro, I don't care! I was on a date with my girl and I had to leave at, like, ten to shower and get ready! Besides, I've also been here three hours so put a lid on it!"
> 
> “Oh, suck a my dick, McClain! Take your boyfriend here that-DUDE YOU'RE BLEEDING!"
> 
> “Tell Álvarez that I'm taking him to the office to not take up space; I'll be fifteen minutes tops.” 
> 
> (essentially) "SUCK HIS DICK, TWINK!”
> 
> (basically) "SHUT UP, YOU LESBIAN!”
> 
> -
> 
> Poor Keith he gets off track when he's nervous; now Lance can't stop picturing an older Keith (what he thinks Mr. Kogane looks like) in Daisy Dukes.....BOI does Lance need some serious therapy to figure out how this will end. (jokes on him we know >;D)
> 
> Also if you think it's very odd Pidge is being really calm and collected about this just remember she was drunk during the fight and she can think a bit more clearly no, but don't worry the drama isn't over yet.
> 
> I'll update as soon as I can I promise.


	9. “But, Baby, You’re The Only Sunny Thing I Need.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so it continues. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there might be grammar and spelling mistakes....sorry

Keith woke up sweaty.

Startled awake, all he could do was stare at the ceiling as he caught his breath. He frowned. Last time he checked he didn't have faded glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling. Bringing the bedsheets closer to his face he could see they weren’t red; they were green. He sat up slowly, making out the stuffed animals and the furniture in the room.

He’s in Pidge’s room.

He bolted out of bed, feeling his pulse quickening. He was sweatier now if that was even possible. He pulled off the duvet, throwing it on the desk.

Nothing.

Where was she? Was she still with Matt? Was he gonna see her again?

Of course he was gonna see her again; he had all her shit she probably wanted back.

He sighed, throwing his head back. He remembered putting those stars up there.

Katie was too short (even on the bed) so he’d done it for her. He’d been very upset when they’d used up all the packages trying to make constellations on her ceiling. She’d offered to drive back to Target to buy more, but instead he’d pushed her to the left side of the bed and layed down to her right so they could enjoy them together.

It’d been nice.

How long ago was that? How long had they lived here? How much longer was she going to live here?

He climbed back into her bed, burying his face into her pillow. He took in a deep breath, feeling tears start to prick at his eyes.

It smelled like Linen and Sky Febreze.

 

* * *

 

Pidge didn't wake up hungover, which was unexpected but very welcomed. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the morning light. Everything was blurry. Somehow she was still not used to being legally blind.

She took in a deep breath, Lance’s head rising and falling along with her chest. His hands rested under her crop top on her stomach and back. Some time during the night (or the morning) they’d switched positions and it was him who was wrapped around her.

Gently running her fingers through his hair, she frowned. How can someone look so cute while drooling on you?

A huff escaped her lips as she let her head hit the pillow again.

Did she want Lance to be happy? Of course she did.

Did she mean what she had said to him last night….? Not so much.

It hurt to know your best friend kissed your boyfriend; it hurt ever more to hear yourself say that your boyfriend might’ve enjoyed the kiss.

But it was a completely different thing to hear your boyfriend say that he didn’t know how to feel and what to do about it.

What was that supposed to mean for them? For her? What, was she not good enough anymore? Did Keith fill some sort of category she couldn't? Lance had never mentioned having sex nor did it seem like that was gonna be a problem.

Was it?

What did Keith tell him? What did they do?

Katie didn’t want to believe either could go so far behind her back; not after last night.

She wanted to be mad at herself for not being able to be mad.

She was wounded, deeply so, but mad? Not quite; it’s hard to explain.

Matt had spoken some heavy truth; no one chooses who they fall in love with, and she was in love with Lance!

But if he suddenly fell for Keith and left her….she wasn't sure what she’d do.

She didn’t even want to picture Lance and Keith dating.

A breathy chuckled tickled her stomach as Lance tighten his grip on her.

“That’s definitely a face I want to wake up too every morning.” the infatuation of his gaze sent shivers down her spine.

She released the scowl she’d been holding, settling for a smile. “Better?”

Lance laughed before pulling her on top of him, leaning up to kiss her. It was a short, gentle peck she met with a squeak and Lance smirked into. “Much better, babe.”

She smiled, giving into his charm. “Morning.”

“How you feeling? Do you need advil? Water?”

“How about some breakfast?”

“Your wish is my command.”  he pecks her nose before gently getting out of bed. “Scrambled or boiled?”

“Sunny-side-up.”

“But, baby, you’re the only sunny thing I need.” he says as he cups her face.

“Oh my god, just go make the eggs!” she snorts as he walked away.

Lance’s room was warm and yellow. His sheets were yellow, his curtains were yellow, and so was his bean bag. The furniture varied from dark browns to blacks or whites. The sun shined through his windows and everything smelled of s'mores. (Though a closer look on the candle revealed it was actually 'pumpkin french roast'.)

The bed was comfortable too.

Not that her own bed wasn't comfortable, it's just this was Lance’s bed.

Pulling a pillow to her face, she took in it’s scent. He had so many pillows and each one smelled like him; his cologne, his face wash, his shampoo, his stupid egg mask with it’s yellow container that matched the decour. She’d pegged him for a blue kinda guy since he was almost always wearing blue; like her with green and Keith with red.

She pressed her face further into the pillow.

Keith’s room was nothing like Lance’s room; it was like hers.

Curtains always drawn, mess in just about every corner, no real theme or aesthetic. Keith’s room smelled of his dry hair shampoo and sweaty leather; hers smelled of 'Linen and Sky' Febreze to block out the dirty laundry.

There was no waking with the sun or sweet kisses in her apartment, just bickering over who was bringing the cereal box and the milk jug to the dining table.

She laughs, thinking back to the Lucky Charms accident from a while back. The less said about it the better.

So this? This warm bedroom, were on the bedside laid an eye mask, an uncracked phone, and a fucking yellow hardback….it was weird.

But it was a great weird.

Granted these were not the circumstances she'd imagined the first time she'd sleep in Lance's room, but she liked it here.

He’d like it too.

She could see him here; his hair a greasy mess as he wore those shorts he’s had since high school, complaining about how bright the room is. She can't help but chuckle as she pictured him looking in horror at how much yellow there is everywhere.

Then her mind brings Lance into the picture and she’s not laughing anymore.

There he is, bringing over some coffee as he kisses Keith’s head, the bed bug further burying his face into the duvet. And Lance doesn't care. He strokes Keith’s back as he reads a Daily Mail article on Kylie Jenner (who he claims not to care about yet stalks on snapchat.) He’ll say something dumb about her, and Keith will laugh even if it’s not funny because _Lance_ said it, and that’s enough for him.

“Katie?” Lance is at the door frame, tray of food in his hands as he looks at her. It smells amazing. "Are you crying?" he asks.

And she is.

Her cheeks feel cold, and she can no longer breath through her runny nose. She looks down as she desperately tries to dry her eyes, but the wet spots on the pillow make her cry harder.

"Katie, what's wrong? Talk to me!" Lance sets the tray on the bedside table, crawling into bed to hold her. Katie doesn't answer, she just buries her face into his shoulder with a tight grip on his shirt. "It's okay; you're okay."

He wanted to say 'we're okay'.

But were they?

The eggs are cold by the time they eat them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS NOT DEAD!!! AND TO PROVE HOW SORRY I AM FOR LETTING IT GO UNFINISHED FOR SO LONG HERE IT GOES IN FOUR LANGUAGES!!!  
> I AM SORRY!  
> JE SUIS DÉSOLÉ!  
> LO SIENTO!  
> GOMEN'NASAI! (ごめんなさい!)
> 
> yeah idk when i can update again, and im sorry this is so short, but christmas break is coming and i promise as soon as my last midterm is coming ill update again.
> 
> for those who read this, thank you so much for sticking with this fic, sorry for the hella late and hella short update T-T
> 
> (i might edit this later just to check for extra spelling mistakes)

**Author's Note:**

> Ok OK OK, I hope this Keith wasn't too OOC, cause I've read fics were he's 'cool' and 'nonchalant', but I'm going with a slightly more 'open' cannon!Keith who laughs at Lance being cuffed to a tree and gets offended at Lance not remembering their bonding moment, cause idk why they portray him as stoic; he is a closet meme while Lance is out [ ;;;)))) ]. 
> 
> He's also very concerned for Pidge as you can see, and I'll go more into depth with their friendship in the fic later on.  
> Anyways I hope my ER talk aint too inaccurate woops sorry. I will try and write most of this story before i go back to school on Monday, but I most probably update every Thursday or Friday just in case i need time. Idk I'll let you know.


End file.
